Why is Ganguly happy even though Eden did not get a test match? He himself told the big reason.

New Delhi. Even though the fever of T-20 cricket is skyrocketing in the country, there is still a section which takes Test cricket very seriously and wants that Test cricket should be organized even in small centers of the country. Former India captain and Bengal Cricket Association President Sourav Ganguly wants more Test matches to be played at Eden Gardens, but he is also happy to see Tests being played at grounds like Guwahati and Ranchi.

While announcing the 2026-27 domestic season of the Indian cricket team last week, the BCCI has decided not to conduct the Border Gavaskar Trophy tests against Australia on traditional grounds like Kolkata and Mumbai. These matches will be played from 21 January to 25 February in Nagpur, Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad.

Advocacy of test cricket at new venue

Ganguly said at the launch of Sportsstar's book 'Miracle at Eden', 'It is always good to see big Test matches taking place at Eden Gardens. Being the president of CAB and a former player, I want Test matches to be held here, but we hosted the Test against South Africa. After this, T20 World Cup matches were held and now IPL matches are also being held here. He said, 'We all want more matches to be held at Eden, but it is also important to understand that matches should be held on other grounds also.' Guwahati became the test center only in November 2025 and the second test is going to be held there within a year. The test was conducted at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in October last year itself. The last Test at Wankhede Stadium was played in November 2024.

The board has made a plan to expand test cricket

According to the BCCI calendar, ODIs will be played against Zimbabwe in Kolkata (January 3, 2027) and Mumbai (January 9, 2027), while ODIs will be played against Sri Lanka in Delhi on December 13 this year. Speaking on this issue for the first time, the former BCCI president said, 'There are good stadiums all over India. It is good to see tests being conducted in Chennai, Guwahati and Ranchi. The facilities there are quite good. Whereas former Indian spinner Venkatapathy Raju said, 'In our time, tests were held only in Kolkata, Kanpur, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. It had its own charm and I think it should be like that again. Ganguly also said on this occasion that plans are being made for the 2001 team to meet at Eden Gardens. He said, 'We will hold this ceremony at Eden. It was supposed to happen at the beginning of this month but got delayed due to the marriage of Sachin Tendulkar's son.