BCCI Breaks Silence On 'Washout' Row During India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test In Kanpur

BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla on Monday put up a stout defence of Kanpur as a Test centre, saying the venue can't be denied the chance to host long format matches as it is set to undergo an upgrade to improve its infrastructure. Persistent rain has played havoc with the second Test between India and Bangladesh at the Green Park as two full days of play were washed out without a ball being bowled. The stadium has an outdated drainage system and three super soppers were used to dry the ground after rain. On Sunday, it did not rain much and the sun also came out for a brief period but the wet outfield did not allow play to begin. Only 35 overs could be bowled across the first three days of the Test.

"Well criticism is one thing which we are used to being in administration of BCCI in cricket. But everything is being criticized. When we were not giving matches to Kanpur then also I was being criticised. Now we are giving the match and I am being criticized... why it has been given to Kanpur," Shukla said.

He said they can't control weather and never before a match has been abandoned at this centre.

"This ground is around 80 years old. It is our heritage ground. If you remember it used to be a permanent Test centre. So the whole idea was to have Test matches here.

"This is for the first time in 80 years that it has rained so much that we were not able to host the match for two days. But the history suggests that no match has been abandoned here. There are many venues in the world where because of rain, matches were abandoned.

"I don't think there should be a hue and cry because when this ground was being built, stadium was being built, then those technologies were not available. Now technologies are available.

"Like in our