Whistle podu — in the stadium!
A glance beyond the screens.
148 and 6 wickets down. 2 runs, 1 ball- the display said. Malinga’s slow walk off the crease for his run-up made all the crowd stand. It was his final delivery- the deciding ball of the 2019 Indian Premier League. Things were no different from tightrope walking.
One wrong step and you lose the cup. However, one successful delivery, and you fetch your team that glorious trophy.
On the batting end was Shardul, mustering up all energy for that one delivery. Just two runs to go. Touch the ball, and run. With victory switching sides by the second, uncertainty lingered in the air. The same crowd that had cheered deafeningly for their teams went mute, waiting and watching with bated breath for Malinga to run up and hurl that white, glistening ball into the air, towards Shardul. Then there were cheers as Malinga ran up, and…I guess you know the rest.
I was one of those who went mute when Malinga took his run up at the Uppal stadium in Hyderabad. I can confidently say it is one of those few experiences in life you wish to keep etched in your memory forever. Technology is a good substitute to many things but sometimes things are best done without it. An experience surprisingly different from watching the same match on TV- I must say, watching the match live, on field, is one of those silly little thrills you just should have. At least once in your lifetime.
Okay, so why beat around the bush?
The match happened in the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, fondly called the Uppal stadium indicative of the suburb in which it is present- Uppal. The metro station there is a stone’s throw away from the stadium. Here’s a good reason for you to gape open mouthed at the scale of things- parking slots start filling up from a distance of 5 km from the stadium along one side of the road; traffic police are summoned specially for the day’s event to manage the crowd and help people cross the road. Now, amidst the roadside hustle and bustle, you find yourself caught by the vendors- running a world woven around footpaths and unscrupulous pricing. The footpaths house a line of vendors with baskets filled with packets of T-shirts, pom-poms, ribbons, flags and placards of the two clashing teams. Men with paintbrushes in their hand offer to paint your favourite team’s logo on your cheek. A yellow nylon T-shirt with CSK’s logo becomes the finest of silk and will be priced at least INR 300. Make hay while the sun shines, they say- and they follow it devoutly. Soon, you find yourself irresistibly caught in bargaining with them. A deluge of sounds drown your ears- people’s buzz betting on teams, hooting of the whistles and the car horns blaring on the road; a complete colourful chaos. Then comes the actual sanctum of the temple of experience- the stadium.
The stadium was ostensibly full, decked with blue and yellow T-shirts and flags branded with "Mumbai Indians" and "Chennai Super Kings". The crowd was all ready with snacks lined up. Cheering resonated throughout the bright flood-lit stadium.The lush, green ground was all set with workers constantly tending to the pitch and boundaries. One could see the players warming up on the ground. The host for the day took over and began interacting with the crowd. First up, a few words to get the Mumbai crowd going, "When I say Mumbai-you say Indians! Come-on!" and then the same with Chennai Super Kings. It may seem scripted and ordinary on TV, but the gathering and the scale makes all the difference. The magic and mischief of the sound soon takes you over and you join along cheering for your team. After the initial bouts of cheers, he declared the names of the players in style- prolonged stress on syllables making it grand but silly. The bright screen near the flood light gives all the information needed; the toss, the score and the like. All that’s left is to sit back and enjoy.
I was fortunate enough to be seated under one of those pavilions that gave me a sufficiently oblique view of the pitch. You could see the bowler’s run-up and the batsman’s drives. These seats are termed the "corporate box". If you happen to get one these, then you may find yourself engrossed in yet another wildly popular act- taking selfies with the creme de la creme, who come near the boundary for warming up or for live telecast. For a select few, I bet this reason strikes down any argument in favor of streaming the match. Another detail you will find yourself musing at is a poster in front of every group of 20-30 seats, which says, "Beware! Watch for the six in the air and catch the ball!". There is that one childish corner of your mind that wishes the ball lands in your hands and you be the “chosen one”.
In my pavilion, I happened to spot two MS Dhoni fanatics who took their T-shirts off and had the whole body above their torso painted yellow, with "Dhoni-7" written in red paint. This is yet another reason to get flabbergasted at the levels of fanaticism fandom can manifest. During the course of the match, there were cheers of varied kinds- sometimes, an "Ooooo!" and at certain other times, just the usual uproar during boundaries and sixes. And dead silence when the third umpire was summoned. This time it was PayTM’s QR code being scanned repeatedly till the decision came out with heartbeat thudding in the background. The crowd resonated with it and thunderous clamors erupted from them once the decision was out.
You get to see the setup for live telecast- the suspended “Spider” camera that positions itself accordingly above the field.
The vast expanse of the field sets things really in proportion.
You appreciate a six because you find the stadium humongous compared to the ant-like batsman on the pitch. This might seem very trivial on a television, and at the end of the day, it looks no more different than players on a video game. You are free from the exasperating and repetitive advertisements that spoil all the suspense and mood for the evening. It is this joy of merging with the crowd and reacting to every small happening in the match that you cherish watching the match live, on-field rather than watching it on the TV.
But then, going the age old saying, “Every coin has two sides”, maintaining decorum while enjoying becomes a matter of utmost priority. That is a test for the civic sense in not just you, but all the spectators. Refraining from shouting obscene statements to the players on ground and throwing trash in the bin is all that is expected of you in the public sphere. This is necessary to ensure it doesn’t infringe on others’ experience at the stadium and isn’t quite distracting for the players. Nonetheless, it’s a given that you’ll stumble upon one or two of these bad-apples sometime during the match.
Conclusively, you will find the on-field experience to be a colorful one; an experience intertwined with a myriad of emotions and people.
A perfect Potpourri.
