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Fans find voice as Delhi gets a Test after six years
Inside the stadium and outside, fans discuss animatedly as the second Test between India and Australia builds up with promise of a tight finish with three days to go
It was just after dawn on Saturday and a boisterous bunch of youngsters, accompanied by two elderly men, were engaged in loud cricket chatter on a ride on the Metro network’s Blue Line. In discussion was KL Rahul’s leaping catch to dismiss Usman Khawaja on Friday, the nature of the pitch and whether India will be able to overhaul Australia’s first-innings 263 on Day 2 of the second Test. It left no room for doubt where they were headed – to the Ferozeshah Kotla ground to strain their vocal cords and show support for India.
There must have been many like them among the 22,000 in attendance at the Arun Jaitley Stadium – it can seat 38,000 – on Saturday. Deprived of Test action at the heart of the national capital of late – there hasn’t been one since India faced Sri Lanka in December 2017 – their enthusiasm was understandable.
It was also India’s turn to bat with all ten wickets intact at the start of Saturday, usually a big incentive for fans to turn up for the first ball of the day. And they made their presence felt immediately. Just three deliveries in, all of which were sturdily played by Rohit Sharma, sections of the crowd began exhorting the India skipper to take the aggressive route against left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.
Sharma, knowing the task ahead of him on a challenging surface, wasn’t going to oblige the noisy crowd. Soon though, as wickets began to tumble, the mood turned slightly sombre. Suddenly every run from Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja was being cheered. The biggest roar was indisputably reserved for the man from Delhi, who must have fond memories of the previous Test here. He scored 243 off just 287 balls against Sri Lanka in India’s first innings.
The crowd was content merely watching Kohli in action. “I’ve come to watch Kohli play. He is from Delhi and my favourite player,” said Dhiraj Malhotra, a 22-year-old from Pitampura seated in the Old Clubhouse stand. “Aside from him, Australia is a big draw. I am a keen follower of Test cricket. This is an important series between two good teams and that makes us more excited as fans. I also wish (Rishabh) Pant was playing this series. He would have brought further excitement with his big hits.”
The Kohli craze seemed to resonate across a varied section of the crowd – young and old, men and women. A father-son duo from Gurgaon decided to attend the Test as soon as the schedule for the series was announced in December. “My son is a huge fan of Kohli. I also like to watch him play,” said Nikhil Kumar, who works in a multi-national company.
The Aussie fans, too, have turned out in decent numbers, thanks largely to a couple of tour groups which follow the Australian team around religiously. The familiar figure of former Australia speedster Merv Hughes was seated among the visiting fans.
“I am here for the second and third Tests. I was hoping to go to Dharamsala for the third Test. A lot of Aussies were looking forward to it since it is on the foothills of the Himalayas and the Dalai Lama lives there,” said 60-year-old Brett Bardsley, who lives in Melbourne. “These things happen unfortunately (the match has been moved to Indore). I love Test cricket. So, they can play it on the Moon. I will still go and watch it.”
The decibel levels rose after the lunch break with more fans pouring in and relishing the partnership between Kohli and Jadeja. Their dismissals in quick succession, curtailing the stand to 59 runs, resulted in a deathly hush as the Indian fans realised the sinking situation.
It took an excellent partnership of 114 runs between Axar Patel and R Ashwin for the festive mood to revive after the tea interval. From doing the Mexican wave to bellowing ‘Axar, Axar’ and ‘Ashwin, Ashwin’, the crowd ensured the fightback was celebrated with fervour.
Now they will wait in anticipation for the third day of a Test that is delicately balanced.
