The Hindu : Front Page : Great game tops sunny Sunday

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Monday, Feb 28, 2011
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Great game tops sunny Sunday

S. Rajendran

Even the weather gods yielded to fans' prayers for some telegenic cricket

ROOTING FOR THE HOME SIDE:Fans know if you stretch things a bit with wit and imagination, you're bound to catch the photographer's eye.

BANGALORE: The cricket mood in Bangalore was at its best on Sunday, with all the dust raised over the non-availability of tickets to local fans settling down.

Excited cricket lovers began queuing up before the entry gates nearly two hours ahead of the match.

With even the weather gods yielding to the pressure of telegenic cricket, Bangalore indeed played a great host to the first of the 2011 World Cup cricket matches featuring India and played on Indian soil. The radiant day provided the perfect setting for a good game of cricket. Of course, the first match which India played in this World Cup was in Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the countries hosting the event along with Sri Lanka and India.

Sorry, no beer cans

The Bangalore match attracted a sea of foreigners who had made their way to the stadium to watch the match. Bangaloreans played excellent host to a large number of them by guiding them to the right stand where they had purchased tickets.

Police security was stringent and several foreigners, unaware of the rules prevailing in India against carrying alcoholic beverages, had to hand over their beer cans to the security personnel manning the gates.

No water bottles either

Incidentally, people were not even permitted to carry water bottles as empty bottles are generally used as missiles against the rival team. Several former cricketers supervised the food service at the stadium.

With Sachin Tendulkar scoring yet another century, it was magnificent cricket for fans.

People had come in the best of Sunday mood. Topping great cricket was the wholesome food served by the Karnataka State Cricket Association in some of the stands. Food, beverages, snacks are all part of the package in some of the stands. In the other stands, spectators had to pay for their food and snacks. Footpath vendors also did brisk business, but at a distance from the stadium.

As usual, parking was a hassle which came at a big cost with car drivers having to cough up Rs. 100.

On duty

Khaki-clad police personnel, barring the few on the periphery of the ground, could not watch the match, much to their dismay. Some special police were continuously scanning the periphery of the ground for explosives and other security threats. The KSCA had drafted private security personnel to keep tabs on the entry of people to ensure they were ticket-holders.

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