Bombay cannot quite match Colombo when it comes to Test venues. Colombo boasts four Test grounds, while Bombay has three. India’s first ever Test match in 1933 was staged at the historic Bombay Gymkhana, but international cricket soon shifted down the road to the Cricket Club of India, a stone’s throw away, before finally settling along the sweeping Marine Drive at the Wankhede Stadium, which now hosts all men’s international fixtures. Gymkhana and the CCI, meanwhile, play host largely to women’s internationals and domestic cricket.

All three venues are top-notch facilities and there is plenty Sri Lankan clubs could learn from these Indian institutions. Our clubs carry rich traditions and colourful histories, but when it comes to member comfort and modern amenities, there is room to raise the bar.

Bombay Gymkhana, established in 1875, celebrated its 150th anniversary last year and the ground is steeped in history. In its early days it was a club reserved strictly for Europeans, with locals permitted only as workers. That rule had to be bent for India’s inaugural Test in 1933 so that Indian cricketers could walk through its gates. The policy was finally scrapped in 1947 following India’s independence.

Today, membership at the Gymkhana does not come cheap. The entry fee is eye-watering, and corporate entities rather than individuals are the ones who can comfortably afford it.

The club offers a smorgasbord of sporting activities, cricket and rugby among them, although India has yet to make serious strides in the latter. Indoor pursuits such as badminton and table tennis are also available, while those who prefer a quieter afternoon can retreat to rooms dedicated to card games. The billiards and snooker room, immaculately maintained with more than a dozen tables, remains one of the club’s prized attractions. There was a time when Sri Lanka’s own M.J.M. Lafir held court here, the cynosure of all eyes with cue in hand.

For book lovers there is a splendid library and for those who fancy forty winks there is even a siesta room. Several bars and coffee shops dot the premises, while a mini-supermarket caters to members’ daily needs. A well-stocked wine store sells both local and foreign beer and spirits at reasonable prices.

The food, of course, is a feast for the senses, an impressive spread of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that would make even the most seasoned diner loosen the belt a notch.

It is remarkable that such facilities exist right in the heart of the city. That people had the foresight a century and a half ago to set aside acres of prime land purely for recreation speaks volumes of the wisdom of those who were calling the shots.

Bombay as a city too has come on in leaps and bounds over the last two decades. New highways have sprung up, including one that cuts across the sea. An underground tunnel emerges just a stone’s throw away from Wankhede Stadium, easing what was once nightmarish traffic. The metro network now connects most key parts of the city and continues to expand.

For a metropolis that never stops moving, Bombay’s infrastructure push deserves a tip of the cap.

Rex Clementine in Bombay