India vs. West Indies Twenty20 series kicks off on Saturday.
The Indian cricket team coach Anil Kumble said on Thursday that the team is looking forward to playing more matches at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Kumble, who visited the stadium ahead of the two India-West Indies Twenty-20 match series, on Saturday and Sunday, was impressed with the facilities.
“It’s a wonderful initiative and we are really looking forward to our matches here, it’s going to be a sellout. We know the US, the expats and the huge Indian diaspora who want quality cricket to come to the US,” Kumble said, reported the Press Trust of India.
“We have played in the past in the West Indies and a lot of Indians come over from the US to watch us. So this is a great opportunity for all of them and I’m sure this is the start of a new beginning in the United States and I’m sure there will be a lot more of the Indian team in the US going forward,” he added.
Terming the upcoming match as a “new beginning” for cricket in the USA, the former cricketer said he didn’t expect that much facilities in the stadium.
“I certainly didn’t expect the facilities to be as good as what it is in the United States,” Kumble said.
“I certainly felt that it could be a makeshift. I had heard about Florida and this ground, but very impressed with the facilities that we have seen today. It’s the first time that I’m seeing this ground and the wickets are good, ideal probably for a T20, and the practice facilities have been good, the outfield looks fantastic. So all in all really impressed with the facilities here,” he said.
The T20 match against West Indies will be the first international match played by India in the US.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to develop the series into an annual event in the US.
Earlier, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had decided to conduct a mini Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament overseas in September every year, and there were speculations that it was likely to be held in the United States.
The board is trying to utilize the time window it has got after scrapping the champions league T-20 in 2014 for widening the fan base of cricket outside India and capitalize on the popularity of the mini cricket format. Champions’ league T-20 was held around September-October.