Rajkot: After creating a replica of the Lord's Cricket Ground's media box here, the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) is getting ready to build the country's first cricket stadium with a roof.

With the Gujarat Cricket Association building the world's largest cricket stadium with a capacity of over one lakh in Ahmedabad, authorities at the SCA Stadium in Khanderi are mulling an all-weather-proof cricket stadium. The idea took shape after an erratic monsoon forced many matches to be washed out across the country in the last few seasons.

"Since the monsoons here are very unpredictable, we have seen a lot of matches—domestic and internationals—getting washed out. So, we had a look at the various kinds of roofs we can go in for. One is a retractable one [like the one at Wimbledon] and the other is a permanent roof, resembling a dome. We are working on the feasibility of both. It's not that we want a roof just for the sake of it or to be different from others. This will be a very carefully taken decision as the cost involved is huge. We must also take into account hosting maximum number of international matches here to make it a feasible investment. Then there are various factors like the placement of floodlights, etc that need to be considered as well. It's a French company that we are in talks with," SCA president Jaydev Shah told mid-day on Thursday.

Jaydev Shah



Shah, a former Saurashtra Ranji Trophy captain, also revealed that a new 17-acre plot adjoining the present stadium had been purchased by SCA. "We are planning to build a new stadium there. It will be a multipurpose stadium with a capacity of around 15,000 to 20,000. Some are suggesting that we have the roof on that stadium, while others feel we should have a roof on the existing stadium. We are working on the cost factor for both stadiums. As an experiment, we will first try and build a dome roof over the 25 practice pitches [located behind the main ground]. We have to also consider how the pitch and grass would behave in the absence of direct sunlight," added Shah.

28,000 - Capacity of Rajkot stadium

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