International cricket in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has been confined to the Holkar Stadium in Indore since 2010, when Gwalior’s Roop Singh Stadium witnessed the first double hundred by a batsman in ODIs. A brand new centre, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, will help cricket spread its wings in the central zone of the country.
Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium is all set to reintroduce Gwalior and its neighbouring regions to the thrills of international cricket, and the Gwalior Division Cricket Association is preparing on a war footing to ensure the smooth conduct of the first T20I between India and Bangladesh. Guerilla Cricket speaks to vice-president Mahanaaryaman Rao Scindia to elucidate the inception of the stadium, benefits to local players as well as economy, and Gwalior’s rich cricketing heritage.
Gearing 🆙 in Gwalior with radiant rhythm and full flow 👌👌 #TeamIndia hone their fielding skills ahead of the #INDvBAN T20I series opener 🙌@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/RjbUb7scXe
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 4, 2024
International cricket is returning to Gwalior after a lengthy wait of 14 years. Please describe your feelings on the homecoming of top-level cricket.
It’s a moment of excitement. It’s something that has been a long way coming for Gwalior cricket, and for the public of Gwalior and Madhya Pradesh. For the last 14 years we’ve been anticipating when the next match is going to happen and I’m very excited that it’s happening at a stage when we’ve just recently opened the new stadium. There is a lot of excitement around the infrastructure. We just had the Madhya Pradesh T20 League (MPL) which created a lot of hype for cricket in the state, and specifically in Gwalior. It showed us how excited the public is to watch the sport and how passionate they are. Again, it’s a reflection of how cricket in India is not only looked at as sport but it’s looked at as religion.
Personally, it’s a big learning opportunity. How organization happens, how things are put together around an international cricket match of this stature and size, how to deal with different moving parts and organisational bodies within the cricketing community. It’s a very exciting chance for me to provide this match to the public of Gwalior and the larger population of Madhya Pradesh.
Sachin Tendulkar’s double hundred etched the Captain Roop Singh Stadium into the annals of history. Your recollections of that iconic game?
It was amazing! The stadium was packed, and the kind of energy flowing through it was joyous to experience. I must’ve been around 12 or 13 years old, so to witness such a big moment in the history of cricket was a strong memory of my childhood.
To see cricket coming to Gwalior again makes me reflect on those moments where Sachin Tendulkar scored a double hundred. I remember it so vividly. I remember walking into the dressing room to congratulate him and take a picture. The whole team came for dinner to the palace after the match. It was an extremely memorable time for me as a kid to watch such an intense and momentous game.
Did you miss that feeling of international cricket in the interim?
Oh, yes. I think everyone missed that feeling. It can clearly be seen in the excitement that MPL brought, specifically to Gwalior. I don’t think anyone expected this stadium to be full every single day of the tournament because people have weekdays, they have work and remain busy but despite all of that and rain, people turned up in huge numbers. It was neither an international nor an IPL match, it was a domestic league that we had put together. I think that set the stage for what is to come today, the T20I between India and Bangladesh. I’m very excited, happy and thankful to the BCCI as well as Jay Shah ji for pushing the match to Gwalior.
The Roop Singh stadium could not host any international games after that historic game because ICC’s rules and regulations for hosting an international cricket match were growing complex. The foundation stone of Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium was laid at that point too so did one thing lead to another?
Not really, I think the more important part was the infrastructural development. It was vital to build a new stadium that caters to the evolving guidelines for international cricket and also for it to be a landmark in the Gwalior sporting sphere.
The infrastructural and media requirements had changed, electrical infrastructure specifications changed so there was a lot to be updated within the Roop Singh stadium. That’s why we thought why not build a bigger stadium that would have more capacity because we knew that the Gwalior city had tremendous passion and following for cricket.
The location of the stadium is beautiful. Being on the outskirts of Gwalior, it is surrounded by the valley, the agricultural land and the small hills. It is an aesthetic venue for playing cricket. When I was watching the highlights of a night-game in MPL, with the lights on and laser show underway, it was quite a sight.
A state-of-the-art stadium was a requirement for Gwalior and finally we came to a point that we were able to open it and open it in a grand way by hosting the MPL. Shortly after its successful conclusion, we have been given an international match so this year has been truly remarkable for cricket in Gwalior and Madhya Pradesh, all thanks to the officials of GDCA, MPCA, BCCI and the organising committees.
It took 14 years to build the new stadium. Please tell us about the journey of the stadium. Right from the acquisition of land to construction to reaching this stage where it’s set to host an international game. What was the process like and how much satisfaction does the completion of this massive project give you?
Right from the beginning my father Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia was pivotal to this journey. It was a time when I wasn’t actively involved in cricket, even though I followed it. He scouted the ideal location for the stadium, oversaw the design and architecture and the infrastructural facilities. He decided on the selection of grass to be laid and seating capacity. It was a dream project for him considering his fond memories of cricket with his father and my grandfather, Mr. Madhavrao Scindia.
It was a very emotional juncture for him, and for me to see that dream come to life was a big moment. I also wanted to add value, and push cricket the same way my progenitors had. They’ve taught me a lot about organisation, player development, conducting leagues and infrastructural development.
I came on board towards the end of the completion of the stadium but that said, I have a huge sense of gratification and pride in what my father has been able to accomplish both in terms of the cricket and its infrastructural growth in Madhya Pradesh. Big kudos and congratulations to him along with BCCI who helped us through this process and guided the funding for Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket stadium.
Recently I interviewed Rajendre Tembe, the first cricketer to play the Ranji Trophy from Gwalior. He used to play under Madhavrao Scindia and spoke fondly of his love for cricket.
Mr. Tembe told me that he invited legendary cricketers to Gwalior, would take local teammates to the royal palace for a meal after matches, and played a significant part in developing the cricketing culture in Gwalior. I’m sure growing up you must’ve heard stories about his passion for the game?
Absolutely! In fact, the Madhya Pradesh League is a reinitiation of the Scindia Invitation Cup, a tournament that my grandfather used to hold in Gwalior where as you mentioned all the big names participated. It was something I wanted to restart in a different format. He provided players employment in the railways, aviation and HRD sector, giving them a sense of security. Everytime I meet people from the sporting background it’s an emotional moment because they keep reminiscing the times they shared with him playing cricket or having meals at the palace. He had an affinity for re-energizing people with warm gestures.
A lot of what he did is what I’m trying to replicate in Gwalior and in Madhya Pradesh through MPL. For example, we’re providing players job opportunities in the companies that our franchises own. We’re helping them secure scholarships. We’re proposing a regulation which forces franchise owners to develop village-level players, introduce them into the MPL and eventually take them to the IPL. We’re focused on hunting and grooming raw talent in Madhya Pradesh.
During the league matches that we conducted recently, we hosted all the players at the palace for dinner. I personally invited all the GDCA and MPCA members to come down and reinvigorate cricket. Everyone was so happy to see that kind of practice restart.
During my interactions with the top officials of GDCA last week I learned that the new stadium is an ode to Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, the founder of cricket in Gwalior. There was an earnest thought process to pay homage to his contributions towards uplifting cricket in Gwalior. Kindly touch opon that.
If you walk down the corridors of the stadium, you’ll come across pictures of him interacting with legendary cricketers and BCCI officials, playing with the local players, and participating in leagues. There are a lot of memories as you walk down the stadium halls, the chief meeting offices and the governing body rooms. Along with that during the league itself we had laser shows which depicted pictures of him.
For a lot of people this stadium is a very emotional place because it allows them to relive the heartfelt moments they spent with him. This stadium holds a lot of sentimental value for the cricketing community in Gwalior.
During my visit to Tansen Cricket Academy, I met a lot of kids for whom this will be their first experience of watching international cricket from the stadium. Indore is obviously far off and everybody couldn’t afford to travel, but from hereon it is going to be a significant learning experience for the local players, coaches and family members who support their cricketing dreams.
What’s your take on the exposure that will be provided, both in terms of access to state-of-the-art facilities and the mental conditioning that happens through watching the best cricketers perform at the highest level?
I’ve played many sports and watching sports live gives you an idea of how it actually feels when you are in the stadium and it’s very important to go through that because it’s not easy to play in a stadium atmosphere with the crowd shouting. Sometimes an opposing crowd, sometimes supportive. Either way it can be very distracting for players to come into that kind of a setting. So you need to make yourself mentally prepared.
Also, the style of play differs from when you play on normal grounds versus professional grounds. To understand how cricketers actually play on professional grounds, how their body language is and what their mental capability is, of course, is very important. For younger players, this is going to be a huge opportunity because as you rightly pointed out, for some people it’s not easy to travel and access these environments. Which is why we’ve priced the tickets not very high, starting from 750 INR.
Just harking back to your mention of Madhya Pradesh League, how much confidence does the successful conduct of MPL provide to the GDCA administration? The games were high-scoring yet competitive, the turnout was superb, and from a management perspective everything seemed to have gone well barring the slight crowd control issue that happened on the day of the final because of overcrowding.
Do you think having the experience of organizing an event of that scale and pulling it off properly augurs well for the stadium authorities ahead of an international game, where the stakes will be much higher?
The overcrowding is a good problem to have… (laughs). Organizing the MPL was definitely a good experience but as you hinted an international match has very different guidelines as compared to a league match. There are very different protocols with respect to ticketing, media, player housing and care, accommodation and food, health, and fitness so this is a completely different ball game.
There is a lot of pressure, a lot of people who were part of GDCA 14 years ago have left, a lot of changes have happened to regulation in this period. It’s like basically we’ve set up a team from scratch to manage the stadium. Crowd control needs to be spot on, security and catering is there to look after. It’s going to be a huge learning experience for me as well as the whole team.
Gwalior is an ancient city known for its superb architectural, musical and cultural heritage. Are there any sightseeing plans in store for the Indian and Bangladeshi contingents?
Yeah, there’s a lot to be seen in and around Gwalior. You have the new sound and light show which is stunning. Both my father and mother played a huge role in putting it together. It celebrates the history of Gwalior and Madhya Pradesh while depicting the importance of the Gwalior fort.
Tansen’s Tomb, the old magnificent Chattris, the palace museum which houses an immense amount of artefacts, jewels, world’s largest chandeliers, and a serving train on the tracks of a dining table. I’m very excited for all the players to come to Gwalior a few days before the match so that they get to do some sightseeing and it’s going to be a big opportunity to promote tourism.
The Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia stadium has been alloted 30 games across the Womens U15 One Day Trophy and Boys U16 Vijay Merchant Trophy later this year, and I believe domestic as well as international matches will happen regularly from now onwards. Please tell us about the impact on the local economy.
The impact on the local economy is going to be significant. Not only the hotel industry, but also for the restaurants, catering services, lighting and event management companies. The merchandise market booms given the influx of spectators. There is a huge amount of potential for growth in all of these sectors, and I’m already seeing it for this match. Each and every hotel, AirBNB, homestay has been booked out. The local merchants and businesspeople want these big-ticket events to happen in Gwalior regularly because of the sizable economic value attached.
The markets, the historical sites, everything gets revenue. I’ve always believed that sporting activity is a huge value addition to the local economy and that’s why I’m working on building local leagues in Gwalior.
When we talk about Madhya Pradesh’s cricketing arena Gwalior has a bit of catching up to do. Indore and Bhopal are on a higher pedestal. Are there any specific plans to strengthen the club cricket in Gwalior via the new stadium? Like organizing high-performance camps, talent hunts or knowledge-transfer workshops?
Most of it is going to be connected with the league. We’re doing a lot of talent scouting and player development programs within Gwalior and Madhya Pradesh. We’re starting in November, and we’ll organize matches to select that rural talent which will then be nurtured for MPL.
There’s going to be a full training process in which all the franchise owners will have to invest into three players each and they have to find this local talent from their particular area. They have to supervise their progress for six months and usher them to the next level. Along with that, we’re slowly working on a docu-series to document the journey of these players right from the scouting to the player development to the foray into leagues. Media attention will go into this and we’re planning to broadcast it on Youtube or even OTT platforms.
This endeavour will give local players a platform to play, earn and develop themselves as professional cricketers.
