Forty acres of a dream realised

Bengaluru: Walking through the corridors of an ageing M Chinnaswamy stadium, you would hardly believe that a generation of cricketers were being rehabilitated, and a new generation was being perpetuated, all by the National Cricket Academy.

Well, what the NCA did in near obscurity for two decades is a thing of the past for the new facility is about as extravagant as they come. 

It’s a venue so grand and well thought out that the Board of Cricket for Control in India couldn’t help but rename the NCA into ‘Centre of Excellence’ during its inauguration here on Saturday. 

Located fifteen minutes from the Kempegowda International Airport, and amid an industrial hub, BCCI’s largesse towards the facility is obvious even before you enter the premises.

While the floodlights are visible from a distance, it’s the mounds of still-to-be-moved earth, newly painted walls of beige, and an abundance of BCCI logos which let you in on the worst-kept secret in town. 

Upon entering, you’re met by a seemingly basic but well-spread-out structure which hides the main ground just enough to pique curiosity. 

The main ground, however, refuses to be hidden for long for a few steps through the Hall of Fame Corridor of the South Pavilion and you’re met by the biggest ground in the country. 

The main ground, which is the biggest of the three grounds at the venue, has an 85-yard boundary and has 13 pitches made of Mumbai red soil. It even boasts floodlights and state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities. 

The other two grounds, which line up to the left of the main ground, are meant only for practice matches, and they have a 75-yard boundary. Ground B has 11 Mandya black soil pitches, and Ground C has nine Black Cotton soil pitches from Kalahandi in Odisha. 

All three grounds come with an innovative subsurface drainage system to ensure quick turnaround time.

Besides the grounds themselves, the venue has 45 outdoor pitches for ‘nets’, and they’re all split with the three aforementioned soils and also have five concrete pitches. A section of these ‘nets’ is also floodlit. 

Adjacent to the ‘nets’ is a section dedicated to fielding, and there are eight running tracks too.

The indoor facility, which spills into the outdoor ‘nets’, has provisions for eight ‘nets’ at a time, and they come with integrated cameras for player analysis. 

Then there is the 16,000 square-foot gym, four more athletic tracks, a physiotherapy rehab gym, a sports science and medicine lab, a recovery area with jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath, underwater pool spa, cold shower areas, sleeping pods, a 25-metre swimming pool, dedicated audio-visual/ projector facilities, and then some. 

Even as the venue guide doles out more numbers about the 40-acre facility which is due to be fully functional by January, NCA chief VVS Laxman’s clean-cut figure enters the South Pavilion to offer an emotional ode to the venue. But first, he opens with the significance of the name change. 

“So many players and some of the legends of the game benefited from the various programmes being conducted at the National Cricket Academy. But yesterday, just before the inauguration of this wonderful world-class facility, the NCA was renamed BCCI Centre of Excellence. And I think the word excellence is very, very important for all the sportspersons who are trying to compete at the highest level,” said the former India batter. 

“When we talk about excellence, then mediocrity is something which you do not want to even embrace. You want to compete with the best in the world. And I think the word excellence has got a lot of importance and impact.”

As for the venue, he said: “I have been to some of the best academies in the world, not only limiting to cricket, but other sports also, but I have not seen this kind of a facility. I think the beneficiaries will be not only be the future generation of cricketers but also the current generation of cricketers.

“I remember when the foundation stone was laid in the early part of 2022, and then the target was given that in 15 months' time, 16 months' time, this facility should be ready. I was a little sceptical, because such a facility, such a big infrastructure, will it be completed in 15 months? But the way the work has progressed from the time construction started, is remarkable. I was stunned when I came here. To have this facility, the way it has progressed, the way it has been built is remarkable.”

Laxman, who has not addressed the media since taking over at the helm in December 2021, spent the next 40-odd minutes breaking down CoE’s role in what they have done so far and what they intend to achieve in the months and years to come, but he prefaced all of it with: “…it is a dream come true for all the players. And someone like me who has played for the country at the highest level, I think it is a very important moment.”

Salient features

Thirty-seven of the 40 acres of land is used up, while 3 acres has been left for expansion. 

Three grounds are in place - Ground A, Ground B, Ground C - and will be used for practice matches. Ground A is a floodlit facility with a 85-yard boundary, and is likely to be available for India A matches.

Ground B and C have 75-yard boundaries, and don't have flood lights.  

Thirteen Ground A pitches have been made using Mumbai red soil, eleven Ground B pitches are made of local Mandya black spoil, and nine Ground C pitches comprise Black Cotton soil. These soils ensure varying conditions to players. 

A total of 45 outdoor pitches are available for 'nets'. These too are segregated by soils used, and they also have five pitches made of concrete. 

The indoor facility has provisions for eight 'nets' under lights and cameras for analysis. 

The main structure - the South Pavilion - spans across 45,000 square feet, including two 3000 square feet dressing rooms. 

The dormitory and the dining area is spread across 15,000 square feet.

The Sports Science and Medicine block has a 16,000 square foot gymnasium. There's also a 25-metre swimming pool.