Watching Sachin Tendulkar score a hundred in front of forty thousand adoring fans takes away some of the pain of loosing. There is time enough in the future to dwell on missed opportunities and Monty’s lackluster bowling effort – it was just a pleasure to watch a brilliant game.
The Chennai crowd was as much a part of the experience as anything that happened on the field. When India are batting, the most conservative old man is transformed into a fifteen-year-old. He shouts and cheers and dances for every run they score. When Tendulkar walks into bat the crowds flock. Even when he’s fielding, when he touches the ball a roar erupts like a wicket has fallen.
The highlight came last evening while Sehwag was hitting fours and sixes at will. After every boundary the two women sat behind me, both clad head to toe in black chadors and hijabs, starting jumping up and down on their seats and blowing horns in my ear. It was fantastic. The atmosphere at a cricket match in India is unique to anything I have ever experienced. Even as England are getting thrashed you can’t help looking around you and grinning like a mad-man.
Strauss’s twin hundreds, Swann’s double wicket opening over, Flintoff’s confrontation with Yuvraj, Sehwag’s blitz and a Tendulkar century to win the game! Its such a cliché, but cricket really is the winner. Onwards to Mohali, and we will see if England can pick up the pieces.
Monday 15 December 2008
Saturday 13 December 2008
In the corner of a foreign field
In the corner of a foreign field, some five thousand miles from home, a cluster of bleary eyed rotund Englishmen sang William Blake’s Jerusalem as Alistair Cook and Andrew Strauss walked out to bat on the first morning of this First Test.
Amid all the uncertainty surrounding England’s tour since the Mumbai terror attacks, there is something comforting in the thought that wherever England walk out onto a cricket field a group of devoted fans will be there in toe. On the first morning, the over-riding feeling amongst these supporters was relief that finally they had some cricket to watch.
The atmosphere outside the ground was both friendly and good humored. As an Englishmen everyone is eager to shake your hand and welcome you to their city. This amicable spirit was also mirrored on the field of play, as the Indian players generously congratulated Andrew Strauss once he had completed his hundred.
Security – such a pervasive issue in the build up to this match - was tight, but not oppressive. The guards range from diminutive teenagers in smart shirts to large mustachioed policemen, who often glare at you from a distance before breaking out into a broad grin and greeting you with “velcome to Chennai”. This said, those charged with vetting what supporters could take into the ground could do with smiling a little more. For some of them sun-cream was deemed threatening, along with bottles of water and opaque carrier bags. Many people had their mobile phones confiscated for the day – although a big screen at the ground asking spectators to text in messages for the players had a constant turnover. The guards frisking can not have been that successful.
If the figures quoted by the press are correct – the five thousand security personnel at the ground comfortably outnumbered the spectators on both the first two days play. However, apart from the presence of a few sporadically placed cops in the crowd, and a group of armed commandos who circled the playing area once a session, their presence was unobtrusive.
As these armed guards looked on, the game progressed serenely enough. The Barmy Army cheered as they always do when an opposition wicket falls, and the Indian crowd gave Sachin Tendulkar his usual electrifying welcome when he walked out to bat. All seemed well with the world now the cricket was back on. Indeed, despite some reservations about it being a lot of fuss over a cricket-match – given the context in which this game is being played – everything seems to be running smoothly.
Amid all the uncertainty surrounding England’s tour since the Mumbai terror attacks, there is something comforting in the thought that wherever England walk out onto a cricket field a group of devoted fans will be there in toe. On the first morning, the over-riding feeling amongst these supporters was relief that finally they had some cricket to watch.
The atmosphere outside the ground was both friendly and good humored. As an Englishmen everyone is eager to shake your hand and welcome you to their city. This amicable spirit was also mirrored on the field of play, as the Indian players generously congratulated Andrew Strauss once he had completed his hundred.
Security – such a pervasive issue in the build up to this match - was tight, but not oppressive. The guards range from diminutive teenagers in smart shirts to large mustachioed policemen, who often glare at you from a distance before breaking out into a broad grin and greeting you with “velcome to Chennai”. This said, those charged with vetting what supporters could take into the ground could do with smiling a little more. For some of them sun-cream was deemed threatening, along with bottles of water and opaque carrier bags. Many people had their mobile phones confiscated for the day – although a big screen at the ground asking spectators to text in messages for the players had a constant turnover. The guards frisking can not have been that successful.
If the figures quoted by the press are correct – the five thousand security personnel at the ground comfortably outnumbered the spectators on both the first two days play. However, apart from the presence of a few sporadically placed cops in the crowd, and a group of armed commandos who circled the playing area once a session, their presence was unobtrusive.
As these armed guards looked on, the game progressed serenely enough. The Barmy Army cheered as they always do when an opposition wicket falls, and the Indian crowd gave Sachin Tendulkar his usual electrifying welcome when he walked out to bat. All seemed well with the world now the cricket was back on. Indeed, despite some reservations about it being a lot of fuss over a cricket-match – given the context in which this game is being played – everything seems to be running smoothly.
Thursday 11 December 2008
Bristling moustaches abound, but cricket wins
Above anything which took place during today’s play, it is just a relief that cricket is back on again. The significance of this first Test for Indian cricket, with IPLs and Champions Leagues coming up, goes without saying. This might be the most important two-Test series ever played.
Security was tight but not oppressive. Lots of cops with bristling moustaches and ample girths glared at fans outside the stadium before play began. This moustache-to-belly ratio seemed to be an indicator of officer seniority but, despite their intimidating persona, almost everyone was welcoming.
Inside the stadium cameras, mobile phones and sun-cream were banned but many people managed to sneak them in anyway. A big screen which asks spectators to text messages onto it had a constant turnover, so the guards frisking can not have been that effective.
On the subject of ‘effective’ – England’s total was indebted to Andrew Strauss, who compiled his 13th Test hundred with minimum fuss. He and Alastair Cook seemed to be going some way to proving that a warm-up was not needed after all. If only the rest of England’s batting could have lived up to their start.
Paul Collingwood’s performance stood out in particular. Seemingly playing with a ping-pong bat, it would surprise nobody in the ground today if replays were used by the U.S Army to interrogate inmates in Guantanamo Bay. Given Owais Shah was England’s only consistent batsman during the one-day series, and Collingwood hardly scored a run, the England XI is confusing at best.
However, wherever England’s ended up at the end of the day’s play, the real story is that this Test is being played at all.
Security was tight but not oppressive. Lots of cops with bristling moustaches and ample girths glared at fans outside the stadium before play began. This moustache-to-belly ratio seemed to be an indicator of officer seniority but, despite their intimidating persona, almost everyone was welcoming.
Inside the stadium cameras, mobile phones and sun-cream were banned but many people managed to sneak them in anyway. A big screen which asks spectators to text messages onto it had a constant turnover, so the guards frisking can not have been that effective.
On the subject of ‘effective’ – England’s total was indebted to Andrew Strauss, who compiled his 13th Test hundred with minimum fuss. He and Alastair Cook seemed to be going some way to proving that a warm-up was not needed after all. If only the rest of England’s batting could have lived up to their start.
Paul Collingwood’s performance stood out in particular. Seemingly playing with a ping-pong bat, it would surprise nobody in the ground today if replays were used by the U.S Army to interrogate inmates in Guantanamo Bay. Given Owais Shah was England’s only consistent batsman during the one-day series, and Collingwood hardly scored a run, the England XI is confusing at best.
However, wherever England’s ended up at the end of the day’s play, the real story is that this Test is being played at all.
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