Six-year wait ends as Guwahati gears up for inaugural Test match

Six years after the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) first proposed the Barsapara Stadium’s readiness to host a Test match, Guwahati, popularly known as the Gateway to the Northeast, is on the brink of a historic moment as it prepares to stage its first-ever international red-ball match.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

India and South Africa will face off in the second Test of the ongoing series, marking a significant milestone for both the city and the region.

The proposal to bring Test cricket to Barsapara was initially put forward on July 31, 2019. By then, the ACA Stadium had already hosted several international white-ball fixtures and a range of domestic matches. As the longstanding aspiration approaches reality, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who hails from the city, expressed gratitude to his predecessor and current International Cricket Council (ICC) chair Jay Shah for approving the allotment of the region's first-ever Test match.

“As a representative of Assam Cricket Association in the BCCI, I thank the ICC chairman Jay Shah for allowing us to first host the Women’s World Cup matches, and now this Test match. The process started back in 2019, and finally after a long wait, we'll have the first Test match in the region,” Saikia said.

“I believe hosting the Test match will further encourage young cricketers not only from Assam, but from across the Northeastern states,” he added, outlining the various arrangements the ACA has made to mark the landmark occasion.