ZTV’s cricket dream shattered in Nepal
Agency: A unique example of how cricket has connected politicians and journalists in India is the annual cricket tournament held in New Delhi between parliamentary party leaders and journalists. This tournament has been organized since the time of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
In 1990, when I visited New Delhi on business, the tournament happened to be underway. At that time, Madhavrao Scindia, an influential MP from Madhya Pradesh, had just been appointed president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). I had already met him. He was married to Madhavi, the daughter of Shumsher Rana, who was close to our family.
While the tournament was going on, I went to the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi to meet him. He said, “Now we will not play cricket with Pakistan in Sharjah (UAE). There has been a lot of protest in India.”
Cricket tournaments had been held between India and Pakistan in Sharjah since the 1980s. However, India usually lost those tournaments. As a result, the BCCI was being heavily criticized—from Parliament House to the streets.
During our conversation, Madhavrao made an unexpected proposal: “We are looking for a neutral place. Are you interested?”
As soon as I heard his proposal, a light bulb went on in my mind. Without thinking, I replied, “We are interested.”
He then asked me to meet Subhash Chandra, the owner of ZTV, immediately. Chandra was staying in a suite at the Taj Palace Hotel. Madhav provided me with the room number.
After the game that day, I went straight to the hotel to meet Chandra. He was sitting alone in a grand room at the Taj Palace. I introduced myself. When I mentioned that Madhavrao Scindia had sent me, his tone shifted noticeably. He began speaking with more enthusiasm: “That’s it, the BCCI is looking for a neutral place. I think Malaysia and Nepal would be suitable. Do you have a suitable ground to play cricket? We are ready to build a stadium.”
I didn’t fully understand the matter until I went to meet him. I had assumed that the BCCI must have taken the initiative. However, my understanding turned out to be the opposite. ZTV was preparing to launch a campaign to build a suitable ground for Indian cricket.
Before Chandra’s question could even settle, I responded, “Whatever it is, there are empty grounds everywhere in Kathmandu.”
How many structures had been built in Kathmandu 35 years ago? Everything was open. There weren’t houses built all around like there are now.
He was impressed by my words. Madhav Rao also wanted a ground for Indian cricket to be built in a neutral location like Nepal. After all, Nepal was his in-laws’ country. He had fled to Kathmandu when the ‘emergency’ was imposed in India in 1975. https://english.nepalnews.com/s/sports/ztvs-cricket-dream-shattered-in-nepal/
