Nova Posted November 24, 2012 Posted November 24, 2012 by Saurav01 Published on Cricinfo in the Fan Following blog http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/content/current/story/592742.html Choice of game Any game in Mumbai is always on my agenda. I even attended all three days of the tour game between India A v England XI, so there was no way I was letting this one go by. Other incentives included it being the revenge series, Virender Sehwag's 100th Test and, probably, Sachin Tendulkar's last Test at the Wankhede. The previous Test played at the Wankhede ended on a draw with the scores tied, so I was hoping this match would be at least half as exciting as that one. Though India started as favourites on a turning track, I thought England had a chance too, with Monty Panesar making a comeback. Key performer Like he did in the previous Test, Cheteshwar Pujara played a splendid innings. He looked equally competent in his defence and attack, and though he got a life and had a few close calls, he was the difference between the two sides. He has already scored more than 350 runs in this series and the crowds are seeing him as Dravid 2.0. The Wankhede reverberated with the chants of "Pu-ja-ra Pu-ja-ra" during the last session. One thing I'd have changed From the start of the game, there were whispers of this being Tendulkar's last Test on his home ground, and predictably, he got a massive cheer when he walked in. But his departure soon after stunned the crowd in to silence. When the dismissal was replayed on the giant screen a few times, the crowd groaned in unison (even (though Monty's exuberant reaction drew some giggles). Tendulkar was due for a big one here, and the crowd had hoped he would raise his bat one last time in a Test match at the Wankhede. Still, there is one more innings to go. Face-off I relished Panesar's brilliant comeback left India reeling at 169 for 6. He looked dangerous and bowled more than a third of England's overs. Filling the gaps During the lunch break, I wandered around the North Stand to check out the views offered from all corners of the stand. I realised that though the seats at level 2 offered the best view of the ground, the atmosphere was much more vibrant at level 3. Wow moment When R Ashwin hit his first boundary, the ball crawled towards the boundary the way Ashwin runs, almost in slow-motion, with the fielder in hot pursuit. The crowd cheered the ball every inch of the way and burst into an ecstatic roar once it crossed the rope. But the moment of the day belonged to Pujara. At 94, Pujara pulled Graeme Swann and the ball ricocheted off short leg's boot to midwicket's hands. As the England players celebrated, the crowd stayed silent. Soon, we realised the decision had been referred to the third umpire and a chant of "Ganapati bappa morya" took off from somewhere and spread through the stadium. The spectators were in a frenzy when Pujara was given not out, and when he pulled James Anderson for a boundary to get to his hundred, Pujara raised his bat, acknowledging the support of the crowd. During the last few matches I watched at stadiums, I thought my presence was jinxing Indian cricketers. Tendulkar got out on 94 in the Test against West Indies, Rohit Sharma for 95 in the one-dayer against West Indies in Motera and Manoj Tiwary for 93 in the tour match before this series. When England claimed the catch off Pujara, I thought I had maintained my record. I was glad the jinx was broken when he got to his hundred. Close encounter The two most popular players in the England side are Kevin Pietersen and Panesar. Monty was cheered whenever he was seen near the boundary line. In the second session, he pretended to do some freehand exercises near the rope, which made people laugh and shout, "Bas bas, Monty, bahut ho gaya [That's enough, Monty"] and "Kya hua, thak gaya? [Are you tired?"]. During the 64th over of the match, Sourav Ganguly walked by the boundary line while on a break from his commentary duties. When the crowd noticed him from a distance, they temporarily forgot about the match and chanted "Dada, Dada". Shot of the day A couple of overs after Tendulkar's dismissal, Pujara played a glorious upper-cut off Stuart Broad, reminding everyone of the Little Master. Crowd meter In the morning, the crowd was thin, but the stands filled up as the match progressed. By tea, the stadium was more than half full. Having watched cricket at various grounds across India, I can vouch for the Wankhede crowd being the liveliest of them all. The atmosphere is always festive, with the sound of drumbeats and chants filling the air. Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh got standing ovations. The crowd chanted Dhoni's name when his dismissal was referred to the third umpire and when he was given out, some members of the Barmy Army put their fingers on their lips, cheekily indicating the home crowd to shut up. Fancy-dress index The fancy Malinga wigs and faces painted with the Indian tricolour were the order of the day. The Barmy Army was scattered through the stadium, with banners of their local cricket clubs. There was even a "Shakespeare Cricket Club" somewhere in the North Stand. The "Bharat Army" was also conspicuous with its huge tricolour banner. Tests v limited-overs A Test match is more relaxing to watch. You can soak in the atmosphere better than in an ODI or a Twenty20, where you are always engaged with the on-field. But they all have their own charm. Banner of the day A gloomy-looking poster on the North Stand read: "Sach is our life - Mumbaikars" Marks out of 10 8. The Wankhede is a great stadium to watch cricket in, and the day's play was of high quality. It would have been 10 had Tendulkar scored a century. Addendum: Panauti of the Match I am the official panauti. Everytime I see a match live in the stadium, things invariably go wrong for Team India. Our spinners lose their skills, pitch stops deteriorating, England start playing spin well, and sh!t just happens. ICFers start demanding that I should be banned from the stadium. In lieu, there are calls for me to get banned from ICF itself. It is a miserable experience for me and my fan following. Some things never change!
Yoda-esque Posted November 24, 2012 Posted November 24, 2012 Kyaa baat hai..Saurav Da phemus hou gaya Addendum added by Tdigi :hysterical:
SLICKR392 Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 Panauti of the Match I am the official panauti. Everytime I see a match live in the stadium, things invariably go wrong for Team India. Our spinners lose their skills, pitch stops deteriorating, England start playing spin well, and sh!t just happens. ICFers start demanding that I should be banned from the stadium. In lieu, there are calls for me to get banned from ICF itself. It is a miserable experience for me and my fan following. Some things never change! :hysterical: Ban him ! :proud: Close encounter The two most popular players in the England side are Kevin Pietersen and Panesar. Monty was cheered whenever he was seen near the boundary line. In the second session, he pretended to do some freehand exercises near the rope, which made people laugh and shout, "Bas bas, Monty, bahut ho gaya [That's enough, Monty"] and "Kya hua, thak gaya? [Are you tired?"]. :hysterical: Where were you seated?
Sachin=GOD Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 If India doesn't win this Test then Sourav01 HAS TO BE BANNED :finger:
ganeshran Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 Saurav01, if you are ok with it, I'll publish the article on ICF home page too.
Trichromatic Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 Saurav01' date=' if you are ok with it, I'll publish the article on ICF home page too.[/quote'] Do it tomorrow and not today. He won't have any problem then.
Magneto Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 The addendum by Tdigi is the best part. Hope that would have been published on cricinfo as well. :giggle: But how did Tdigi dig this out? :hitler: I was silent about it. :hmmmm2:
fineleg Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 Panauti :(( Good report Saurav, very well written, but you made sure India got whooped :(
Magneto Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 :hysterical: Ban him ! :proud: :hysterical: Where were you seated? North Stand. The place to be at Wankhede! :agree:
Old guy Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 worst part people he is not done he is going to watch match in kolkata too
Magneto Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 Saurav01' date=' if you are ok with it, I'll publish the article on ICF home page too.[/quote'] This is cricinfo's clause: Can I publish my Fan Following report elsewhere later? On a personal blog, anytime (with a link to the relevant ESPNcricinfo page, if possible). In any other media: two days after publication on ESPNcricinfo, with a line mentioning it was first published on ESPNcricinfo.
ganeshran Posted November 25, 2012 Posted November 25, 2012 This is cricinfo's clause: Can I publish my Fan Following report elsewhere later? On a personal blog, anytime (with a link to the relevant ESPNcricinfo page, if possible). In any other media: two days after publication on ESPNcricinfo, with a line mentioning it was first published on ESPNcricinfo. Cool, I'll move it tomorrow in that case, after the 2 day period is over.
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