Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and wife Nusrat at the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer on Saturday. (Reuters)

Ranchi, March 9: Ranchi is set to make sporting history by becoming one of the venues of the India-Pakistan field hockey bilateral series in April, months after its Hockey India League (HIL) triumph.

It also marks the international debut for Astroturf Hockey Stadium, Morabadi, one of the chosen venues for the two Asian hockey giants and traditional rivals, though the exact date of the match has not been revealed.

Pakistan will play five matches in Ranchi, Lucknow, Delhi, Mohali and Jalandhar between April 5-15. Then, India is scheduled to cross the border to play another five ties in Lahore, Faisalabad, Karachi and Sialkot from April 23 onwards.

The India-Pakistan bilateral hockey series — the first after 2006 — is another significant step to normalise sporting relations between the two nations after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Cricket, too, has played a key role – right from the first Test series in 1951-52 when Pakistan visited India. After suspension of bilateral cricketing ties some five years ago, the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) again hosted three ODIs and two T20s with Pakistan in India in 2012-13.

In the last one held at Firoze Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi, India beat Pakistan by 10 runs. But Pakistan won the ODI series 2-1, while the T20 was a draw at 1-1.

The April hockey tie is also a major feather in Ranchi’s cap. The success of HIL and Rhino Rhinos and the spontaneous craze among residents for hockey have all worked in its favour.

Some dozen Pakistan players were scheduled to play at Morabadi astroturf stadium during HIL matches between January 14 and February 10. Diplomatic tremors shelved it.

But when Hockey India and Pakistan Hockey Federation officials met to finalise details of this historic tie on the sidelines of an Asian Hockey Federation meeting in Malaysia in February-end, Hockey Jharkhand members lobbied hard with the Centre for a match.

“We are pleased that Hockey India has chosen Ranchi as one of the five national venues where the India-Pakistan hockey series will be played in April. We will come to know the schedule soon,” Suresh Singh, Hockey Jharkhand senior official, told The Telegraph.

Hockey Jharkhand officials are yet to work out logistics. “The number of tickets, their price slabs and from when and where they would be sold are details that are still awaited,” said an official.

But the state sports department has started the groundwork to increase the capacity of the 5,500-seater astroturf hockey stadium by another 3,000.

“I have ordered an estimate for the stadium revamp project. After this, we will engage architects for a recce and they will draw up a blueprint for the stadium’s possible expansion,” A.K. Singh, state sports secretary, told The Telegraph.

“This apart, facilities like rooms with attached bathrooms for tournament director and match umpires and facilities for dope test should also be created,” a Hockey Jharkhand official said, adding such facilities were required for international stadiums.

After the India-Pakistan match, Morabadi will host the junior national girls tourney from April 19 to May 1, where players from 22 hockey playing states will gather.

Hockey Jharkhand

Jharkhand’s hockey calendar is full. The state will be taking part in Junior National Hockey Meet for boys and girls from April 3-8 in Navgaon (Assam), Women’s Hockey Meet from April 18-30 in Lucknow (UP) and Junior Boys Hockey Meet from May 27 to June 6 in Sonipat (Haryana).

The schedule was finalised in Ranchi today at the first meeting of Hockey Jharkhand, chaired by Narinder Batra, secretary general of Hockey India, in the presence of former national and international players from the state, including Olympians Silvanus Dungdung, Manohar Topno, Biswasi Purty, Dashrath Mahto, Ashrita Lakra and Helan Soy.

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