'Our stadiums are pathetic': India vs Australia Test match venue draws harsh criticism; ex-CEA urges makeover

Top Indian economist and former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Krishnamurthy Subramanian on Monday commented on the plight of the stadiums in India. Responding to a comment by former executive director of IMF for India Surjit Bhalla, Subramanian said "our stadiums are pathetic".

On Sunday, Surjit Bhalla took to Twitter to share that he was at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi for a 10 wickets extravaganza. He called it "an embarrassment beyond compare."

"Was there as well for a 10 wkts extravaganza- but Kotla Jaitley stadium is an embarrassment beyond compare - even pathetic will be a compliment," his tweet read.

To this, Subramanian agreed and termed the situation of the Indian stadiums as "pathetic" while tagging Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Union Minister Anurag Thakur, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"@BCCI @OfficialBCCI: Agree w/ @surjitbhalla - our stadiums are PATHETIC. Hv gone many times to Hyderabad stadium... How can we treat our fans sooo PATHETICALLY??? I've seen Lords, MCG, SCG - they r maintained so well. @ianuragthakur Ji @JayShah: Kuch kariye pls (do something please) @narendramodi @PMOIndia," he wrote.

On Sunday, India played the second test against Australia in the four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match was played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi and India took a 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, the third test between India versus Australia has been shifted to Indore’s Holkar stadium. Earlier, it was scheduled to be played in Dharamshala.

There is still some work that needs to be done near the side area of the pitch, a source in HPCA had said to Indian Express. 

The HPCA stadium, one of the most picturesque venues in world cricket, hosted only one Test in 2017 involving India and Australia.  

Also Read: India beat Australia by 6 wickets, retains Border Gavaskar Trophy