With 13 home Tests in a single season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had decided to take the traditional format of the game to smaller cities and venues – some of them where Test cricket has never been played before.

The move was a resounding success when New Zealand toured India as the Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore – the first time a Test was played at the stadium – saw outstanding crowds on each day of the match.

The first Test between India and England at Rajkot was the first time that Test cricket had come to the Gujarat city. But the turnout on all four days so far has been disappointing to say the least.

Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) secretary Niranjan Shah feels that the Indian government’s move to ban the old 500 and 1000 rupee notes has played a big role in that.

Shah, speaking to Reuters, stated that the timing of demonetisation hurt the attendance figures badly.

“The demonetisation has had a big impact on the attendance. The window sale of tickets has been hampered as people have been trying to hold on to their 100 rupee notes,” said Shah.

“The announcement came on the eve of the start of the match and there was nothing we could do to avoid it.”