A few days ago, the Board Of Cricket Control In India awarded the Kerala Cricket Association to host ODIs later this year. With this, Kochi's  Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium will host one game in November.

However, this decision has annoyed many football fans as the stadium also happens to be the home ground of Indian Super League's Kerala Blasters. Many fans took to social media to vent their anger and this triggered the campaign #SaveKochiTurf.

Canadian footballer, Iain Hume who now plays as striker for Kerala Blasters in Indian Super League vented his anger on Instagram. He wrote, "So having read that there’s a possibility of a ODI Cricket Match planning to be played in JLN Stadium in Kochi, I have to say this.... I was here for the 1st season of @indiansuperleague when they had 6-8 weeks to transform our field from a Cricket ground to a Football ground. They made great strides in doing so, but it was still some way off being an established field for top level football. The amount of time and money that has been spent since then, to get the pitch to the standard it is now for the U-17 @fifaworldcup and @indiansuperleague 4, it would be a travesty to tear it up for a one off cricket match!  I understand the love of cricket in not just Kerala, but all of India, and I don’t want to disrespect anyone for that. But there’s a ground in Trivandrum that is Cricket specific, so why for the sake of one match, rip up a pitch that has taken years to get to the standard as one of the best in the country?

So having read that there’s a possibility of a ODI Cricket Match planning to be played in JLN Stadium in Kochi, I have to say this.... I was here for the 1st season of @indiansuperleague when they had 6-8 weeks to transform our field from a Cricket ground to a Football ground. They made great strides in doing so, but it was still some way off being an established field for top level football. The amount of time and money that has been spent since then, to get the pitch to the standard it is now for the U-17 @fifaworldcup and @indiansuperleague 4, it would be a travesty to tear it up for a one off cricket match! I understand the love of cricket in not just Kerala, but all of India, and I don’t want to disrespect anyone for that. But there’s a ground in Trivandrum that is Cricket specific, so why for the sake of one match, rip up a pitch that has taken years to get to the standard as one of the best in the country? Question..... Would they tear up Eden Gardens to stage a one off football match? #SaveKochiTurf ⚽️🇮🇳🐘🌴💛

A post shared by Iain Hume (@humey_7) on

 

An Internet user wrote, "Kochi has a turf of international quality inspected by FIFA. Why are they trying to dig the turf for a single day cricket match,when they already have a cricket stadium ready to be used?#SaveKochiTurf #KeralaBlasters."

A fan of Kerala Blasters wrote, "I was here last December to support @bengalurufc in Kochi and I can say that this is one of the best stadiums I’ve ever seen. It is a shame to see it being destroyed for cricket (nothing against the sport). #SaveKochiTurf @rinoanto @ckvineeth. "

A fan club even wrote an open letter requesting the Kerala Cricket Association to not conduct the match at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.

A netizen wrote, "Hey @BCCI, how about we find another ground to play cricket on? It's not like this country doesn't have enough grounds. Leave Kochi alone. India anyway doesn't have enough FIFA approved pitches. Why dig it up?! 🙏#SaveKochiTurf #IndianFootball #KeralaBlasters."

 

With so many football fans, opposing the idea of a cricket match on the football ground, it would be interesting to know if the Kerala Cricket Association adheres their requests.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2018 06:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).