Kanpur of the old, looking to cope with the new

Kanpur was once the centre of trade during the industrial revolution. The Ganges flows through these parts and the railways helped it become the centre of trade. Members of the Indian contingent of journalists say it was called the 'Manchester of the East', simply because of the abundance of textile industries.

But that was all in the past for Kanpur, still busy but not quite as exciting as the other big cities in India. There is a lot of green there too. The Kanpur Green Park stadium, too, in a way has dropped off a few levels from its peers in the big cities, Chennai's Chepauk for instance, which boats the best facilities in India at the moment and hosts the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

It is an old stadium but has not had the development others have had. The flood lights appear to be dim and are slung low and in case of overcast conditions, there is the chance there would not enough artificial light to allow play to go on.

The press box is an open stand and despite being a Test venue, the covering journalists often fear the heat and humidity. The lush green grass covering says the ground was well maintained. But many there feel the venue is still not adequate for Test cricket.

But rich in history, the venue attaches itself to the legends from India. There is a restaurant in Kanpur which makes sweets called the 'Sunil Gavaskar Gulkand'. In fact, the lift at the venue was inaugurated by Gavaskar himself.

A capacity of 39,255 can watch matches. However, some of the stands appear to be falling into jeopardy. The UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association) made the ground fit for international cricket. Domestic matches are held here regularly.

Yet, somehow the green playing area is just about covering up for all the deficiencies that may be seen on first look. As Mushfiqur Rahim came out yesterday to bat in the nets, Shakib Al Hasan was looking on towards the area, taking in the view from the dressing room, that itself looks stunning. Venues in India get something like one Test in three years. The irregularity is a challenge to transformation for certain stadiums.

Built in 1945 and several renovations later, the Kanpur Test venue is finding new challenges to cope with.