Bengaluru high after Mohali low

A group of spectators let out a loud cheer when the groundstaff, in the middle of a steady drizzle, slightly lifted one of the covers on the square. They were, of course, readjusting it, but the hint of activity on the ground offered a ray of hope to the spectators who were waiting patiently for the rain to stop and the match to begin.
Unfortunately, they would eventually leave the stadium disappointed. However, it wasn’t before it became absolutely clear that no play would be possible on Sunday that the spectators grudgingly began to leave the stands. A lot of them stayed back until the match was officially called off at 2pm. It was such a shame, for the people had turned up in huge numbers, despite the light drizzle right from the morning.
Such a warm and enthusiastic response from the crowd came as a pleasant surprise after the Mohali Test, which was played in front of the empty stands. Here, despite the gloomy weather, more than 22,000 turned up on Saturday and, according to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the stadium was sold out for Sunday. In Mohali, despite the perfect weather, the number wouldn’t have gone beyond 5,000 for the entire match.
Incidentally, Bengaluru gets a lot of cricketing action, but the crowd is still very enthusiastic and passionate. They surely fill up the stadium for the IPL and the ODIs, but they love Test cricket too, as they showed in these two days.
Mohali could have done better
While much of the crowd came in on its own, the local association, too, made efforts towards filling up the stadium. “We’ve sent out passes to a lot of schools in the city. Every day we get 5000 students, and we have reserved stands for them,” said a KSCA official. The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), too, had offered free tickets to schools and academies, but hardly anyone showed up. Probably the PCA needed to show a far greater and more proactive approach to get them to the stadium.
Besides, the ticketing process too could be looked into. “It was difficult to get hold of a ticket in Mohali,” said Benjamin, an Australian. “I was told they were sold out. Then, someone told me tickets were available at the other corner of the city in some bank. It was difficult to get a ticket for the game where so few people turned up!” he chuckled.
Perhaps the crowd turn-out should be one of the main considerations when the Test matches are awarded, and also when some venue gets a Test status. After all, what is sport without spectators? “Had the crowd not turned up in such big numbers, we wouldn’t have had the motivation to go out and enjoy so much. It’s such a pleasure to see so many people in the stands,” Sachin Tendulkar said during the All Cricket Stars match in the USA on Saturday.
If the veterans, playing for sheer fun, don’t feel motivated enough to play in front of the empty stands, it’s easy to imagine how the current players would feel.