The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : When they missed a magic moment

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 17, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

When they missed a magic moment

By Karthik Subramanian

CHENNAI, OCT. 16. If there was a genie in a lamp, lying somewhere in the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, on Saturday, thousands of fans would have screamed their lungs out to summon it and give Anil Kumble one last over to have a go at the Australian batsmen.

Those who enjoyed the third day of the India-Australia Test Match the most were those who stayed back till the very end. Thousands had left the stands by 4.30 p.m. hoping to catch their bus home.

They would have probably rued their decision while walking on the road as a roar erupted around 4.50 p.m. Gilchrist was bowled by a Kumble magic ball for 49. The Australian fans could not believe it and the Indians were in raptures. It took a couple of minutes for Jason Gillespie, the night watchman, to get to the crease.

There was 10 minutes to go to the scheduled close of play and the scoreboard said there were five more overs to go. Those who did stayed back could not believe their luck. Harbhajan bowled a tight over and Kumble was about to start his run-up when the umpires checked the time. The clock below the giant video screen showed 4.56 p.m. and was reportedly running a few minutes slow. It was readjusted to show 5 p.m. but for a split second the minute hand bobbed back to 4.50 p.m. before going to the midpoint. For that split second, the crowd was sure that Kumble would bowl again.

He might not have bowled another over. But most of those who stayed back took a vow never to leave a match till the final ball is bowled.

S. Murugan, who works in Tidel Park, recalled the time when he and his friends left during lunchtime as India faced Pakistan in the historic 1999 Test Match. ``India lost that Test as we had guessed but Sachin Tendulkar played what remains his best Test innings till date. It would have been worth it had we stayed back that day. But today, I am glad I was there to see the penultimate over.''

Out of place?

Cricket fans in India are known for their loud cheering, Mexican waves, sporting behaviour and some not-very sporting behaviour.

A few persons were carrying Robin Cook and Ken Follet novels, though the books remained untouched.

And there were people sporting personal stereos, fighting with friends on what song they would listen to. The earphones were shared, one for each of them.

One thing that really surprised many, particularly Australian fans, was the ability of some to catch a sleep amidst all the action. Especially, the volunteers and security personnel dozed off in the late afternoon, fatigue written large on their faces.

No rain at Chepauk!

Do cricket fans believe in miracles? It happened when V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid had that epic partnership at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in 2001. Though nothing of that magnitude has happened over the past three days, fans at the MAC Stadium still talk about some small miracles.

For the last two days, parts of Chennai witnessed sporadic rains. On Saturday, heavy showers poured in Tambaram, Kodambakkam, Anna Nagar and Nungambakkam. Unbelievably, no rain at Chepauk at all.

The stadium was typically hot. The giant screen flashed the temperature in the region of mid-40 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. The heat claimed Mohammed Kaif as a casualty and the Australian batsmen too found the going difficult.

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