Remembering Nagpur 1995: The ODI That Continued Despite Nine Deaths

Nagpur: 25 November 1995 is a day for Indian cricket that people still remember with a heavy heart. The last match of the five-match ODI series between India and New Zealand was being played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground in Nagpur. The series was tied at 2-2, and there was tremendous excitement between the two teams. But the incident that happened during the lunch break turned the glory of the match into a painful memory in a moment.

9 people died due to wall collapse

A new stand extension was built in the stadium just before the Nagpur ODI. This wall built to handle the growing crowd was actually weak. During the lunch break, when the spectators were looking for a place to rest and eat, suddenly this wall collapsed.

Within a few seconds the entire atmosphere turned into chaos. 9 people died and more than 70 spectators were seriously injured in this accident. Many young fans lost their lives after falling from a height of about 70 feet. The falling wall and the screams of the buried people were echoing throughout the stadium, but the players playing on the field had no idea of ​​this.

 

 

 

 

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Why was the match continued by hiding the accident?

Organizers feared that if the players or the crowd were informed about the incident, the match would be immediately canceled and thousands of people inside the stadium might panic. Due to this fear, the entire incident was hidden from the players, and the match continued normally.
As a result, India and New Zealand engaged in a ball and bat battle, while people were being rushed to hospital in one part of the stadium. In the end New Zealand won the match by 66 runs and India lost the series 2-3.

Many big names of that time, like Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja, Vinod Kambli, and Anil Kumble, were present on the field, but no one had any idea how big an accident had happened outside.

What did the investigation reveal?

The investigation of the accident revealed many shocking facts. It was revealed that the foundation of the stand wall was weak and substandard materials were used in the construction. Safety standards were also completely ignored.

This incident raised serious questions regarding the security arrangements in Indian cricket. After this, monitoring of construction work in stadiums across the country was increased, and the safety of spectators started being given top priority.