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For cricket fans, it turned out to be a jolly good day

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

Security was tight at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy stadium

Ricky Ponting ends Indian run drought
‘East or West, India is the best’ rang out loud

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

KEEPING VIGIL: A personnel of the bomb detecting squad at the Chinnaswamy stadium during the Test match between India and Australia in Bangalore on Thursday.

Bangalore: On a corner of Mahatma Gandhi Road in Bangalore, a hoarding that sports a crushed toe and the tagline “Not all Brett Lee yorkers hit the stumps. It is time to return the favour” may not exactly be an appetising lead when you are all set for the first Test match between the cricket teams of India and Australia at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Thankfully there were no bruised toes and blood on Thursday as the two teams that have raised the game several notches over the years played hard cricket without needless retribution.

Jinx broken

Skipper Ricky Ponting broke the jinx of his Indian run drought, and his 123 helped Australia post a respectable 254 for four on the opening day.

The crowd swelled and the numbers in the stands might have silenced sceptics who thought Test cricket was dead after the glitz and glamour of the Indian Premier League here last summer.

The clichéd chant of “East or West, India is the best” rang out loud but there was no mistaking the passion that fired up fans to dab the tricolour on their face, slip into the light blue t-shirt and scamper towards the fence whenever Sachin Tendulkar or Virender Sehwag fielded in the deep. Meanwhile, a minuscule contingent of Australian supporters waved their flags, held kangaroo dolls and kept yelling “Aussie, Aussie”.

They had their moment when Ponting raised his bat to acknowledge them after his century.

A touch of pathos did linger as Sourav Ganguly, playing his last Test series, was often applauded. Even a routine fielding stop evoked lusty cheers and a banner placed near the BEML End, said it all: “Dada will never retire from our hearts.”

Home fans

For the home fans, the match was also about enjoying the exploits of Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid. Kumble has made it clear that this is his last Test at his home ground and as for Dravid, with the next Test here some time away, there is no guarantee that he will be around.

The Indian captain had a barren day on the field, while Dravid kept vigil at first slip waiting for that elusive snick.

“For them it must be a usual match, nothing extra to it. I guess that is the way they will treat it,” said former cricketer Fazal Khaleel, who has played with them for Karnataka.

The cricket may have ebbed and flowed but there was no mistaking the fallout of the slew of bomb blasts all over the country.

Security was stifling but it had to be, and with the more than 30 closed circuit cameras in place and an anti-terrorism contingent even manning the area between the boundary ropes and the fence, fans had to grin and bear the intrusion.

Sporting spirit

However, it was a jolly good day for them, and the Mexican waves and the applause for the wickets that fell as well as the runs that Australia scored were evidence enough that their spirits were sportive.

And on a day when cricket and security jostled for attention, a touch of eco-awareness played out as the digital screen flashed the message: “Car pool, conserve fuel!”

Images: India vs Australia, Day 1

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