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India vs Pakistan: A contest that throws all rationale out of the equation
The build-up for India vs Pakistan has been predictable but there's clearly no problem with the buzz for this one
1,32,000. So far, this six-digit figure has simply been the official capacity of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. On Saturday, for perhaps the first time since the stadium's renovation and unrecognisable transformation (in 2021) into this sprawling facility that stretches over 63 acres of land, this figure should be a visceral manifestation of 1,32,000 people straining their vocal cords and hanging onto every moment of the action. The Indian Premier League may have attracted huge turnouts, but this is obviously different.
This is India vs Pakistan, a contest that throws all rationale out of the equation, engages shrill voices on primetime television debates and tugs at the heartstrings of scores of people on both sides of the border. The build-up has been predictable. As soon as the initial schedule was announced in June, hotel prices went through the roof and flight rates surged to exorbitant amounts as fans frantically sought match tickets. Those who have been able to afford them have even booked beds at nearby hospitals.
“It is a full house for India-Pakistan,” says local resident Manish Singh during a conversation at a tea shop across the stadium. “A lot of people are trying for tickets. The people that have tickets are asking for a lot of money. For a ticket of ₹2500, someone is asking ₹30000 or ₹40000. I am looking for tickets. My capacity is to buy a ticket of ₹2000 for ₹4000 or ₹5000. Not more than that,” he adds.
You mention the lack of interest for the opening game of this World Cup between England and New Zealand – a clash between the 2019 finalists – and a strong defence is mounted.
“There’s no problem with the buzz. If you see matches in other countries also, the spectators are from India only. Even if you see the India-Pak match in Melbourne last year (T20 World Cup), 75% of the spectators were Indian only. Here, in a stadium of 1,32,000, there were 47,000. You can't say that the stadium was empty for the opening game,” says Singh, who runs a steel manufacturing business.
That the Narendra Modi Stadium has become the new power centre of Indian cricket is hard to dispute. It’s here that the two best teams of the World Cup will return in a little over a month’s time for the final.
Dhaval Shah, another businessman, puts it down to the current political landscape of the country, though this city – famous for its thriving cotton textile industry – also has its share of cricketing history to flaunt. It’s here that Sunil Gavaskar scored his 10,000th run in Tests. It’s here that Kapil Dev surpassed Richard Hadlee’s mark of 431 scalps to become the then highest wicket-taker in Tests. It’s also here – at the dormant Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium -- that the first-ever one-day international in India was played.
It’s not as though they are impervious to the flaws. “There are loopholes too. For example, car parking is very limited for the fans. There are plots a kilometre away where you have to park. The other disadvantage is that a lot of the seats don’t have shade. When it rained during the IPL final, there was no shelter for the crowd. People were drenched in the rain. It created a lot of trouble. When you have made a fantastic stadium, this thing should have been kept in mind,” Shah points out.
The booking of tickets has also been a hassle. “Selling all tickets online is wrong. The online ticketing platform has been pathetic,” another bystander rages. “Around 10% of the people must have got tickets at base rate. The rest have all bought for inflated rates.”
While the venue will be heaving with Indian fans, presence from across the border will be scant. An official said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Zaka Ashraf will be in attendance. A few Pakistani journalists have also obtained visas in time for the game. “Around four Pakistani journalists have been given visas before this game. They should be in. Around 20-25 have applied from Pakistan in all,” said a PCB official.
All that's left now is for the contest to live up to the hype.
