Victorian government splashes cash on festivities for Indian Boxing Day Test

The Boxing Day cricket Test will have a distinctly desi flavour, with huge plans announced around the Australia versus India match.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is expected to be packed when the first ball is bowled on December 26, and the state government has splashed some cash for a festival outside the ground.

On the first three days of the Boxing Day Test, a festival will run in the park next to the MCG, with Bollywood dance performances, celebrity chef demonstrations, including MasterChef contestant Kishwar Chowdhury, food trucks and makeshift cricket pitches. Big screens will show the action, as the first day of play is expected to sell out.

“This year’s Boxing Day Test will be a thrilling showdown between two Test cricket-loving nations and a celebration of Victoria’s strong ties with India,” Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos said.

The state’s investment in the festival is commercial in confidence.

“It’ll be a huge boost to our local economy, filling our hotels, bars and restaurants as some of the world’s most passionate cricket fans come to Melbourne to pack the MCG,” Mr Dimopoulos said.

After day three of the match, the first professional kabbadi matches will be played in Australia at nearby John Cain Arena. Kabbadi is a hugely popular contact team sport on the Indian subcontinent and traces its roots to at least 500BC.

There were 258,000 people born in India living in Victoria as at the 2021 census. Half of these people had already gone through the rigmarole of becoming Australian citizens.

Ticket sales for this year’s Boxing Day Test are already double what they were at this stage before the 2018 match between India and Australia when 176,000 people attended across the five days of play.

More than 10 per cent of tickets sold for this year’s test match were purchased overseas, as tens of thousands of Indian cricket fans are expected to jet in.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley says the Boxing Day Test was a globally recognised iconic fixture.

“The rivalry between Australia and India just gets bigger and bigger and we can’t wait to see the MCG full on Boxing Day,” Mr Hockley said.

“We’d like to thank the Victorian government for their support of the Indian-inspired Summer Festival in Yarra Park, which will certainly add to the experience of fans coming to the MCG.”

From January 30, the first day-night Test at the MCG will also begin when the women’s Ashes take place between Australia and England.