Controversial plan to host India vs West Indies ODI in Kochi scrapped

A one-day international between India and West Indies to be played in November will be held in Thiruvananthapuram instead of Kochi, an official from the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has said, following a campaign by football fans who were in opposition to the plan to play the match in Kochi.

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was among those who urged the KCA to reconsider its decision to host the match in the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kochi.

The Kochi stadium is home to the Indian Super League club, Kerala Blasters, and also hosted matches during last year's FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

KCA officials had made it clear they want the fifth ODI between India and West Indies to be held in Kochi, despite the recently-opened Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram being available to host the match.

The decision sparked anger from Kerala Blasters officials and fans of the club, who feared that laying a cricket pitch for the purpose of hosting an ODI could damage the surface of the playing field.

There were also concerns that the November 1 scheduled date of the India-West Indies ODI and a Kerala Blasters home match could clash, given the ISL season normally begins during the month of October.

However, an unnamed KCA official told the Indian Express that the match will be moved to Thiruvananthapuram and that the move will be made official soon.

Tendulkar, who is a co-owner of the Blasters, recently revealed on Twitter that he had urged Vinod Rai, chief of the committee of administrators at the Board of Control for Cricket in India, to look into the matter.

"Worried about the potential damage to the FIFA-approved world class football turf in Kochi. Urge the KCA to take the right decision where cricket (Thiruvananthapuram) and football (Kochi) can happily co-exist," the cricket legend wrote.

"Urged Shri Vinod Rai who has promised to look into the matter. Hoping that neither the cricket nor the football fans are disappointed."