The Kotla Stadium
It is difficult for foreign visitors to understand what makes cricket tick in India.
Even
with the temperature in the mid-30s on a weekday in a dead-rubber Test,
the 45,000-capacity Ferozeshah Kotla was about a quarter full on
Friday.
A lot of internet rumours regarding Sachin Tendulkar's
impending retirement have also played a part in generating interest, and
the passion of the fans could be seen early in the post-tea session
when hundreds of people gathered at the bottom of the East Stand where
the legend was fielding at the time.
Yet, it is perhaps this
passion that has made most state associations around the country
complacent, and the Delhi and District Cricket Association is probably
at the top of the list.
As Mail Today reported on Friday, there
are hardly any avenues for the fans to buy tickets, since the website
doesn't work and there are no box office-type windows.
According
to unofficial estimates, only about 9,000-10,000 tickets (including a
large number of complimentary passes) had been snapped up for Friday's
play.
The DDCA hasn't advertised the third way — purchasing through Bank of Baroda outlets — so most interested fans are unaware.
Then
there is the struggle to get to the ground. Of course, the DDCA can't
change the Kotla's cramped nature, but the fans are made to park at
either Shanti Van (nearly 2kms away) or Bal Bhawan (over 1 km). The
promised shuttle buses hardly ever materialise, and such was the case on
Friday too, when a majority of fans had to walk to the ground.
"It
was a bit difficult, especially since I had to carry my four-year-old
son most of the way from the Bal Bhawan parking,” Ravinder Jaiswal, a
businessman, said. "I really wanted to make this a special day for my
son, but by the time we got to the ground, he was already complaining
about why we couldn't have just watched on TV.”
Inside the
ground, one has to pay through the nose for basic amenities like food
and water, and the stalls are put up behind the stands, meaning anyone
needing refreshment is guaranteed to miss the action, unless you are
lucky enough to be sitting on the two hills on either side of the old
pavilion.
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