More than 65,000 tickets have been sold for the First Test at Edgbaston, meaning it is on course for its largest non-Ashes turnover.
The record for a single Test at the cricket ground was the match against Australia in the 2009 Ashes, at 101,000, which reaped £5 million for the venue.
Warwickshire CCC chief executive Colin Povey said the club was already two-thirds of the way to that figure, and expected the forthcoming India Test Match to set a record – both in terms of attendance and revenue – for matches against sides other than Australia.
The Bears have been proactive in marketing the match to Indians both at home and on the subcontinent to drive up demand for the game.
“Outside of the Ashes it will definitely be a record in terms of the crowd and takings, of that I am sure,” Mr Povey said.
The true potential takings for the match are still unclear, as more than 15,000 tickets for the fifth day of the Australia Test in 2009 were bought on the day before.
Mr Povey said the club had been driving up interest among Indians living in the West Midlands and in India with advertising on Star TV, promotion in the Indian press, adverts in Punjabi and linking with Raaj FM in Sandwell.
He said: “We have a genuinely young and multicultural region. The population is interested in sport, so it is an easy sell.
“We have probably got more than half of the kids that are playing in our district and county sides from an Asian background.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if come Test time the crowd will be at least 40 per cent from an Asian background.
“That is one of the things that makes Edgbaston special. Everyone says there is a special atmosphere about the place – even people who have been all around the world.”
The India Test match takes place from August 10 to 14 and is the first to take place since the £30million redevelopment of Edgbaston.
The capacity of the ground has been increased to 25,000, floodlights added along with improved conference facilities. A hotel, housing and offices are due to be added in a second phase of development.
