HEADINGLEY: If you have been to Eden Gardens, Wankhede, Chinnaswamy or MA Chidambaram Stadium, chances are good that you will be walking into a wonderland if you are visiting stadiums in England. There is a lot of cacophony around alright, with fervour, madness and familiar drum beats if it’s an India match. That’s where the similarity ends, for practical purposes that is.
First of all, you don’t have to cramp yourself for space in the stands. There is enough leg space and the sitting arrangement has been made keeping that in mind. Not much in terms of luxury it may be, but things seem to be designed with the word convenience in mind. Comfort, if you prefer. There is room to spread your limbs instead of sitting in a crouched position all day long.
The next striking point is space between the gallery and the rest of the stadium. Not acres, but there are furlongs for sure to roam around and still not be in a position to miss out on the action. The giant screens and the smaller LCD flat monitors make sure that you catch up with what’s going on, even when stepping out for food, a drink or smoke. That’s where many prefer to watch it, actually.
When Jasprit Bumrah was sending back the Sri Lankan openers, there were many in front of these screens, cup of bubbly in hand, watching the match there instead of being in their designated seats in the stands.
“Bumraoh jaan,” said one, punning on the famous Hindi movie called Umrao Jaan, of the eighties, starring Rekha. “That’s how he shakes it,” said another.
A lot of the match is seen from these places, especially if the sun is out, like it has been over the last few weeks in England after a dreadful wet spell. It’s a bit too chilly for the Indian skin if you are in the shade but if directly under the sun, it hurts. And people prefer watching the match on these screens.
“Don’t miss anything, so why not!” they say.
That’s what was happening when India began their chase in reply to Sri Lanka’s 264/7. Attention gets diverted when former cricketers here as commentators walk by, these fans pass some of the well-informed comments themselves.
“Jadeja (Ravindra) won’t be a bad bet against England. If the pitch is slow, he’s a safer bet than the other spinners looking at economy rates.”
There are also other forms of entertainment. Cardboard cutouts of the World Cup are kept here and there, for fans to take selfies with. This has actually been a big hit. At any given time there are a number of spectators with a smile on the face posing alongside. If you are standing by, it’s more or less certain that
you will receive requests of clicking one.
Then come the entertainers. Not Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni. On stages erected by the ICC specifically for the purpose, they play live music and cater to the ears of the spectators in the audience. If it’s West Indies playing, there are these Calypso bands and if it is India, they are bound to be drumming out bhangra, the Punjabi global favourite.
With Rohit and KL Rahul going strong, it was this variety non-stop. They were dancing, not quite paying attention to the planes that flew over carrying political messages. Playing out on the ground and above head were two different games they seemed to be.
