Cricket lovers relish India’s Test match win over Kiwis

It was a double delight for thousands of cricket lovers who witnessed Team India not only win the test match against New Zealand on Tuesday but also regain the top spot in ICC Test ranking.

It was a double delight for thousands of cricket lovers who witnessed Team India not only win the test match against New Zealand on Tuesday but also regain the top spot in ICC Test ranking.

Fans can’t have enough of former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar on Tuesday. (Shankar Mourya/HT)

The whole stadium erupted in joy when spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took a return catch of Trent Boult to seal India’s 3-0 rout of New Zealand. Before this maiden test match at Holkar stadium, India won all four one-day internationals (ODIs) hosted here since 2006.

On Tuesday, more than 18,500 spectators were present at the ground to cheer captain Virat Kohli and his team. Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara and Gautam Gambhir entertained the crowd with aggressive batting. The crowd went into raptures when the ICC Test Championship mace was presented to Kohli.

“We cheered Team India for exemplary performance throughout the series. Though the match ended within four days, it was complete entertainment,” Monica Sharma, a university student, said.

India had clinched the three-match series after taking a 2-0 lead by winning in Kanpur and Kolkata, but the victory here brought Team India to top position in Test rankings.

“It’s like a double delight for us. After celebrating Team India’s victory, we will go to Dusshera maidan to celebrate Dusshera,” Sharma added.

Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association had put daily tickets on sales for the test match. As per MPCA sources, the association put only 650 daily tickets on sale. As Team India dominated throughout the game, these tickets were sold out in no time. Many cricket fans, who failed to get tickets, were seen around the stadium trying to get passes by shelling out more. A Rs 840 daily ticket was sold for Rs 1,500 just before lunch session.

Massive traffic jams at all the major intersections were reported near the stadium. After the crowds came out, traffic went out of control at Palasia, Janjeerwala, Lantern and Ghantaghar square. Though heavy vehicles were banned on roads leading to the stadium, it did not help much as many fans used their personal vehicles to reach stadium.