Cricket In Nagpur

Australian Cricket Tour To India 2023

CONTACT FOR AVAILABILITY

Tour: 99 Nagpur
When: Feb 06 - 14, 2023 | 8 Nights
Hotel: The Pride Hotel
Venue: 9km From Hotel
Per Person*: Twin A$2200 | Single A$2950
Book: Here Or Bottom Of Page
Visit: Nagpur Tourism

*Supplementary Payment: Should the official tour schedule change, we may be subject to change fees and higher pricing by our suppliers, which we may not be able to absorb. If so, we must pass this cost on to you. If the schedule changes, cancellation fees still apply. We hate to impose the above, but this is India, sorry.

Australian Cricket In Nagpur

Tour Includes:

8 Nights 5-Star Hotel
Airport Transfers
Breakfast Daily
Two Drinks Parties
Match Tickets (5 Days)
Match Day Transfers
Awesome Apparel
Flight To New Delhi Feb 14
Our Services

NAGPUR, the Adelaide of India!

The late Australian Cricketer Dean Jones when commentating on the Australian Test Cricket Tour To India 2004 at the Old Vidharbha Cricket Assoc. Stadium (VCA), said "It's like watching cricket in Adelaide".

This bold comparison came as he looked at the belfry of All Saints Cathedral in the distance (above), much in the way St Peter's Cathedral is seen behind the figs and scoreboard of the Adelaide Oval. Similarities between Adelaide and India's 13th largest city, at the geographic dead centre of India, end there.

Thus Nagpur earned our moniker 'NAGelaide'. When Australia is scheduled to play in the 'Adelaide of India' we are pleased for little more than having that famous quote tickle our time in a city that does not have too much except a nice railway station (below), and 2.5million Maharastrans.

Australian Cricket Tours - Nagpur Railway Station | Nagpur | India

That said, in 2013, Nagpur was voted India's most Liveable City with the Best Public Transport, the Best Green City and the Best City for Health Care Services. Nagpur was also named Tiger Capital of India.

At the east-west/north-south crossroads of Indian Railways between Mumbai & Kolkata, and New Delhi & Bengaluru/Chennai, Nagpur's role as a transit hub between India's biggest cities was important in the city's growth, especially for the distribution of oranges nationwide. Hence their famous 'diamond crossing'.

Nowadays, it is not so relied upon with direct rail passenger and freight services between all cities across the country no matter their size. Aside from oranges & cricket, you'd not come here for tourism (given a choice in India), though it is not without any attraction.

When we first toured Nagpur for Australia vs Zimbabwe during the Cricket World Cup 1996, there was very little to do but count oranges in India’s orange capital. Cricket touring Nagpur is perhaps a highlight for any, though we admit to having more to do now than count fruit.

Australian Cricket Tours - There Is Lots Of Fruit To Buy & Eat In Nagpur, India's Orange Capital, But Strangely, Not Too Many Oranges As Seen By This Fruit Cart Opposite Nagpur Railway Station | Nagpur | India

If you have any spare time in Nagpur, you can visit Raman Science Centre and Planetarium, though this is oriented to kids and students rather than cricket tourists. If you've no other temple oppo in India, visit Deekshabhoomi Temple Complex or stroll the paths around Ambazari Lake, Futala Lake, and Gorewada Lake, as three favourite places the locals visit to cool down of the evening.

If the game ends early, then we will organise a day trip to Pench National Park, the premier tiger reserve in India. Like any safari, even in Africa, it can be hit and miss so it will remain optional for those that simply don't trust their safari luck.

Reaching the 1st Test in Nagpur requires a connecting flight on arrival into India. If you are doing 4 Tests, flying in and out of Mumbai (Bombay) is best to reach Nagpur, and return to from Ahmedabad. After Nagpur, we have a group flight included, returning to New Delhi for the 2nd Test.

Having watched the Australia Test Cricket Tour To India in Nagpur in 2008, I enjoy watching the game more at the old stadium in the city centre, than at the new VCA Stadium 18km away in Jamtha.

There was uniqueness watching the game here (above) such as in-seat catering; a quirk that matched a city where rooftop imbibing was the only way. The highlight of that was the Heritage Hotel (below) opposite the ground. Sadly, along with losing the pleasure of the Heritage, in-seat catering was also lost when the game moved to Jamtha.

At the old VCA Stadium you didn't have to leave your seat to 'fill up'. Restaurants & cafes of the city supplied waiters with menus & notepads to parade the stands taking & delivering orders for coffee, cakes, snacks, pizzas, burgers, and Indian dishes, served with a big Maharastran smile. What you lose on one hand, you gain on the other.

During our first Test Cricket Tour to Nagpur 2004, the player's had the only hotel of repute, thus we stayed in simple 3-star hotels, walkable to the cricket. In 2008, with the game 18km away, we found a new hotel halfway to the new stadium that sat alone in a field. Alone then, but Nagpur has now elevated roadways, a metrorail, and infrastructure that includes more hotels!

When you join our Australian Test Cricket Tour To India, our driver will meet you at Nagpur's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport. You will be swiftly delivered to the hotel the players used to stay for 8 nights. We are still halfway to the ground, so match day transfers are included. Along with breakfast, we have 2 drinks parties, awesome shirts, and match tickets to the very-relaxed VCA Stadium (Jamtha), cricket's 99th Test Venue.

Australian Cricket Tours - The Old Vidharba Cricket Association Stadium In Nagpur Appears Derelict And Abandoned | Nagpur | India