American sanctions on Iran have slowed the pace of the stadium’s construction, but the Iranian government seems committed to open the stadium at the earliest. (News18)
With the Chabahar area dominated by the pro-India Baloch tribe, interest in cricket is high here. The government of Iran is hoping to woo Indian investors to speed up the cricket stadium project
The government of Iran is busy wooing investors in the Chabahar Free Zone and one of the projects it hopes would be a hit among Indian investors is the 4,000-people capacity cricket stadium it is building.
With the Chabahar area dominated by the pro-India Baloch tribe, interest in the sport is high here. Locals here understand Hindi too and are said to consider India to be a more reliable partner to Iran. The sub-continent’s love for cricket has also spread to Iran, with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni among the most adored cricketers in the country.
Speaking to News18, the coach of Iran’s Under-19 team, Asgar Ali, said: “We are Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni fans. We want the Indian team to play cricket one day at the Chabahar Cricket Stadium. We also want the Indian cricket board to train our boys because they have the capacity to compete in international tournaments, but are unable to currently due to lack of facilities and good coaching.”
American sanctions on Iran, however, have slowed the pace of the stadium’s construction, but the Iranian government seems committed to open the stadium at the earliest.
Located in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich Iran’s southern coast, the Chabahar Port is being developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan to boost connectivity and trade ties. IGPL, a Government of India-owned company, is operating the Shahid Beheshti port.
Private players in the Indian business community reportedly recced the Chabahar Free Zone recently.
Recently appointed Indian Ambassador to Iran Rudra Gaurav Shresth was also shown the new cricket stadium.