When King Kohli held his durbar in Delhi

More than 15,000 thronged the Arun Jaitley Stadium during a last-round Ranji match between Delhi and Railways
Crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday
Crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on ThursdayPTI
Updated on
3 min read

CHENNAI: In an interview to Anupam Kher, Shah Rukh Khan, when he was asked whether he feared losing his status as the alpha star, responded by saying: "I'm the last of the stars." At once, it revealed how secure he was in the legacy he would leave behind.

Indian cricket, too, has had a ton of stars capable of creating a traffic jam on an eight-lane national highway. Just as New Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) plummeted further on Thursday morning, the city woke up and made a beeline to watch one of the sport's last stars take centrestage at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Virat Kohli.

What was supposed to be a rather nondescript Ranji Trophy affair between Delhi and Railways had already threatened to become a generational game when it had emerged that the 36-year-old had made himself available for the encounter. As an occasion, this was going to be Lionel Messi appearing for Newell's or Usain Bolt running in the 100m for a local Jamaican club.

One can argue whether Kohli should have even been there (at least at the surface level, with less than 10 days to go for the first ODI between India and England, all of these players would have benefited in playing unofficial long-format white-ball games but that's a debate for a different day), but purely as an occasion, this was going to be one of the hottest tickets in town. A Coldplay concert but for cricket fans.

So they trekked from all over the National Capital Region. What if Thursday was a working day? When Kohli is going to be at work in your backyard, your definition of a 'working day' gets adjusted accordingly. Very soon, the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) had to do some adjustments of their own to accommodate the hoi polloi who had descended to the ground. Even before a ball was bowled, the Gautam Gambhir Stand, capable of holding approximately 6000 fans, was filled to capacity. To put things in perspective, this stand doesn't see this kind of a rush even during Tests. Soon, the DDCA had to open the gates for the Bishen Singh Bedi Stand as more than 15000 fans watched and cheered on one of their favourite sons — cricketing or otherwise — on the first morning of the match.

Chants of 'Kohli, Kohli' and 'RCB' echoed through the stands the crowd eagerly waited to get a close glimpse of the 36-year-old, who was standing in the cordon. At one point, security was increased with para-military forces patrolling the boundary ropes as one of the fans entered the field with the express purpose of genuflecting at Kohli's feat. The fan was ushered away by multiple security forces but he had got the chance to do what a lot of others had wanted to.

In the city's mass sporting cathedral, not everybody has the chance to enter the sanctum sanctorum.

"First time, I have seen such a crowd for a Ranji Trophy match," DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma told this daily. "We had prepared for the fans to come in but the numbers in which they showed up, when we came to ground at 7.30 AM 4-5000 fans were waiting to enter. Yes, there was a bit of a rush but as time passed, it was managed," he added.

What made crowd management more difficult was the movement of the Prime Minister convey through the region at the time as it was the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. "From Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg to Raj Ghat, it was packed. We had to manage the crowd as well as keep the roads empty. Because of this, we opened two gates (16 and 17) based on expected crowd. Then as fans started coming in, we had to open the other gates."

The last time a Ranji match had such an atmosphere was perhaps when Sachin Tendulkar turned up for Mumbai against Haryana in Lahli, Rohtak. On Friday, expect similar scenes as Kohli, at some point, would walk out to bat.

The Arun Jaitley Stadium will be heaving in anticipation.

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