A call for guided tours of Indian cricket grounds

In February 2015, I had the privilege of participating in a guided tour of the Lord's cricket ground. As an ardent cricket fan, I had long dreamt of visiting this historic ground. My cousin and I decided to make this dream a reality - the ticket price of 22 pounds was certainly not going to stand between us and the home of cricket.

We were welcomed by a well-dressed gentleman, who was our tour guide. As one might expect, most of the tourists were Indians, followed by Pakistanis and Australians. First we were shown the 1983 Prudential World Cup trophy, which filled the Indians among us with immense pride. Next we were shown the Ashes trophy. As someone who has followed the Ashes from childhood, waking up in the wee hours of the morning to catch the action Down Under, I was thrilled to see the urn at such close quarters. We listened, spellbound, as the story of the Ashes was recounted to us, and gained a greater appreciation of why this tiny trophy, stuffed with ashes, has meant so much to Australia and England alike.

The highlight of the tour was being shown the dressing rooms of the visiting and home teams. Looking at the honours boards, where every century and five-wicket haul achieved at Lord's was recorded for posterity, was a moment I will always cherish. It is also worth mentioning the legendary Lord's balcony, the best seat in the house.

All in all, it was a one-and-a-half-hour tour and I savoured every moment of it.

Which makes me wonder why such guided tours are not organised at Indian grounds. In a country with such huge enthusiasm for cricket and numerous stadiums with their own histories and legends, such guided tours would surely be of immense value to Indian cricket fans. A tour of Eden Gardens, where tens of thousands of people cheered India's famous victory over Australia in the 2001 Test, or the Wankhede Stadium, where Sachin held the World Cup trophy aloft, would be very special indeed for many fans of the game.

It is my sincere request to the BCCI and state boards to consider this avenue of enriching the Indian fan's experience.