Mumbai: Indian cricket matches invariably draw crowds only if they involve the national men’s team while domestic games in big cities are played before empty stands. Spectator interest perks up appreciably once domestic matches are taken to smaller towns.

Crowd support is what journeyman cricketers long for. Rising stars look forward to a change in the monotony of playing before empty stands by performing in front of packed houses.

The weekend provided a promising prelude to this week’s Duleep Trophy. Huge crowds gathered at the gates of the Anantapur cricket ground; leaning over the barricades, they pushed them down in the melee just to lay their hands on the passes on offer. If the enthusiasm is anything to go by, the Duleep Trophy season-opener starting in this Andhra Pradesh town on National Highway 44, linking Hyderabad and Bengaluru, on Thursday should generate all the attention domestic cricket craves.

Simultaneously, leading stars Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, among others, will be playing in another Duleep tie at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It’s unlikely that the storied venue will see anywhere near the fan mania Anantapur promises to whip up.

So what if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are giving the tournament a miss. India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is also sidelined due to injury. But Ruturaj Gaikwad’s India C taking on Shreyas Iyer’s India D will do for Ricky, a college student in Anantapur district. Ricky and friends “can’t wait” for a proper live cricket experience for the first time. Iyer’s team will include Andhra’s KS Bharat, who only six months back was playing for India.

There’s a case to take more domestic cricket to Tier 2 and 3 towns. “Provided the infrastructure is good. That’s what Anantapur has,” says MSK Prasad, former India stumper and chief selector who hails from the state.

Prasad used to oversee cricket operations of Andhra Cricket Association (ACA). Towards the end of his playing career, Prasad recalls, the Andhra cricket team felt so much at home with Anantapur’s lively pitches that it became their preferred Ranji home venue. Between 2004-2013, Anantapur hosted 15 Ranji matches.

“I remember very well how our lead pacer Syed Shahabuddin would run through the opposition,” he said. “In one of the early matches, Zaheer Khan was playing for Baroda and there was no fencing at the ground. The crowds would merrily interrupt proceedings looking for autographs. From an aesthetic sense, the ground felt so good, as if you arrived from a desert (rest of the arid town) and entered paradise.”

The Anantapur cricket body is one of ACA’s 13 district units. Its twin grounds count among the most picturesque at smaller venues. It is well documented how cricket is part of the Rural Development Trust (RDT) sports village that includes the Nadal Educational Tennis School. Rafael Nadal visited Anantapur for this in 2010.

“We have renamed the ground as Anantapur cricket ground; ACG, like the MCG. Please call it that,” Moncho Ferrer, who runs the RDT and is a member of ACA proudly tells the local media.

Moncho’s Spanish father Vincent had chosen Anantapur to do social good, as it was one of the most drought prone regions of the country. One of the reasons domestic cricket is returning to Anantapur is because of that – there are only so many places in September where it would not rain.

“The response has been outstanding. We can accommodate about 4,100 people in our main ground. Unfortunately, we don’t have the facilities at the B ground to have crowds,” said Ferrer. “A few of the people may have seen cricket before in Bengaluru. But there is a certain charm in watching a big match in your vicinity.”

“The pitch and the outfield are very good. The main ground has got a pavilion as well. We will also be able to set up the apparatus for DRS,” said a BCCI official.

With grander stadiums having come up in Visakhapatnam, Anantapur is no longer a regular Ranji venue. But the five Duleep trophy matches will give an idea whether players warm up to small-town fan fervour over luxury accommodation. Remember, Sachin Tendulkar’s domestic swansong in Haryana’s Lahli?

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