In front of sparsely populated stands, Afghanistan’s Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi bowled the first-ever Test match delivery at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA International Stadium in Mullanpur to Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who flicked it towards deep square leg, marking a new chapter in the venue’s history.Unlike the recent T20 matches held at the stadium, the players were greeted by largely empty stands, underlining the challenge Test cricket faces in attracting spectators. While attendance is expected to improve as the day progresses, the June heat is likely to prevent the 35,000-capacity venue from reaching full capacity.Hosting its first-ever Test match appeared to catch the host association off guard as well. Media personnel arriving from different parts of the country did not receive basic facilities such as drinking water or refreshments in the morning. It was claimed that police did not allow workers to enter the stadium at the scheduled time to complete preparations. The issue was resolved only after the match began, following intervention by senior journalists.Nevertheless, Saturday marked a significant milestone as the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium became India’s 31st Test venue. The stadium made its international debut with a T20 International between India and South Africa in December last year. It also hosted two women’s ODIs between India and Australia in September 2025, besides staging IPL matches for three seasons and hosting the playoffs on two occasions.For its first-ever Test, the venue was sparsely populated. Only a small number of spectators occupied the upper tiers of the North and South stands.“I came to watch the first session of the match and will return to my routine work afterwards. My friends will come for the afternoon session. There will be a good crowd on Jattvibeday,” said Pritish, a spectator.Unlike during IPL fixtures, roads around the venue remained free of congestion, with vehicles passing through security checkpoints smoothly and without restrictions.“Had India been playing some other team, the crowd might have been larger. I think more people will come as the day progresses, especially those who have been invited and have never experienced a live match before,” said Amit, another spectator.