The prospect of Jamshedpur hosting international cricket again seems to be reappearing on the horizon, however distant, with Tata Steel and Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) holding a meeting, indicating a thaw in ties long frosty over a highstakes battle for control of the game in Jharkhand.
Earlier in the week, Tata Steel corporate services chief Rituraj Sinha, his counterpart in the sports wing Farzan Heerjee, cricketer Saurabh Tiwary and JSCA secretary Rajesh Verma discussed the revival of Keenan Stadium that hosted an ODI for the last time in 2006.
"Talks are in preliminary stages," admitted JSCA secretary Verma. "Tatas showed interest in (international) matches making a comeback to Keenan. But for that we need to revamp the stadium. Galleries have to be extended too. We'll sit again with fresh ideas," he told The Telegraph .
JSCA has been willing to host ODIs in Jamshedpur but the unavailability of Keenan has always remained a stumbling block.
Verma said the JSCA was keen on a long-term memorandum of understanding with the Tatas. "This will be beneficial for all as there will be transparency about the whole thing," he explained, adding that he was confident of a positive outcome.
Tatas, on its part, have been initiating steps to revamp the stadium. The Naoraji Pavilion and the Old Pavilion, which were in terrible condition, have already been repaired. But, the galleries have been declared unsafe.
The question now is about who pays for the massive overhauling of Keenan that is required.
Verma believes JSCA would have to invest. "We are keen to develop cricket infrastructure in Jharkhand. We'll take care of the investment. We are open to anything," he said.
A senior Tata official who was present at the meeting said he was hopeful. But, reminded one and all that the talks were preliminary in nature. "We need to have more dialogues. We want Keenan to regain its lost glory," he said.
The genesis of the strained ties between Tatas and JSCA lies in the long-drawn dispute over control of the game in Jharkhand right from the time Cricket Association of Jharkhand (CAJ) was formed in 2001, a year after the new state was carved out of Bihar.
Jharkhand State Cricket Association, or JSCA, was formed in 2004 by renaming Bihar Cricket Association that controlled the game in undivided Bihar through the Tatas, paving the way for Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to grant recognition to JSCA as its representative in Jharkhand.
CAJ, then headed by B. Muthuraman, who was then Tata Steel MD, challenged BCCI's decision in court. JSCA, then headed by Amitabh Chowdhary, and CAJ were locked in a legal wrangle from 2004-05 till 2008 when Supreme Court upheld the JSCA's validity.
During the duration of the dispute, the Tatas, who owns and maintains the sports infrastructure in Jamshedpur, had been gradually distancing itself from cricket. In 2008, it refused to provide the ground for an ODI between India and England citing security reasons, further souring the already strained ties with JSCA.
