On January 13, the sight-screen at one end collapsed during a Ranji Trophy 2023/24 match between Maharashtra and Jharkhand at Gahunje.

The sight-screen at one end broke down during the second day’s play of a 2023/24 Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje near Pune.

Jharkhand had finished day one on 249-3 after Maharashtra opted to bowl. On the second day, they stretched their total to 403. Jharkhand captain Virat Singh top-scored with 108, while Kumar Suraj made 83. For Maharashtra, left-arm spinner Hitesh Walunj returned 6-91.

At about one in the afternoon, during the mid-innings break, the sight-screen at the Hill End collapsed. The officials took prompt action to restore it, but could not prevent a thirty-minute delay.

A tornado had hit the city a couple of days previously, damaging the frame of the sight-screen. The accompanying rain had also denied the cricketers’ pre-match practice.

“When a tornado of such magnitude hits the ground, we could not have prevented the damage. The sight-screen was partially damaged, but we managed to rectify it without significant delay,” informed an MACA official.

The hosts finished the day on 149-1. At the time of writing, they were 419-3 at the time of writing, and had already secured points on first-innings lead. Pavan Shah made 136, while Kedar Jadhav was batting on 123.

The venue at Gahunje hosted five matches at the 2023 World Cup, including India’s fixture against Bangladesh.

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