There will be limited seating available for spectators in the first test between home side India and visitors West Indies, which bowls off on Thursday. 

Vast swathes of empty seats are expected to greet the players at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, which the largest Cricket Arena in the world, with a capacity of 132,000.  

The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) acknowledges the lukewarm response in ticket sales and have decided to open only the lower tiers of the stands for the spectators.

This series is part of the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship, where teams play for points that determine rankings for the final qualifier. 

India and West Indies have played 100 test matches, with West Indies leading slightly in wins at 30 compared to India’s 23, with 47 matches drawn. 

The India enters the series as favorites, having shown strong form recently, including a notable 2-all test series draw against England.