October 13, 2010

Watch a match in stadium. I just did!

So, what is it like to watch a cricket match in stadium, eh? If your team is winning, the icon player dominating and a rapturous crowd at its vocal best, be sure as hell that watching a match can be an exhilarating experience. The euphoria multiplies when, even as you are in the stadium, your friend calls you: “Hey, I just saw you on TV!”

I'm writing this minutes after India defeated Australia in the second test and won the series 2-0 in Bangalore. India won, Sachin slammed a double ton and then a half-century (hit four sixes), I was sitting in the front row of the best stand, got featured on the giant screen at the stadium soooo many times! Delight, delight, delight!! Can you ask for anything more!

Aussies can speak Hindi, dance Bollywood style
India made history and all, everyone knows. But do you know Aussie players are learning Hindi and Kannada too? Phillip Hughes and a couple of Aussies who are not in the playing 11 were sitting near the boundary, i.e., close to us. “Learn Hindi!” one guy screams to Hughes. “Theek hai, theek hai,” Hughes replies with a grin, to our obvious amusement! Spectators passed some more comments. “Chalo, chalo,” Hughes retorts.

Haha... Even more funny was when he and Steven Smith broke into an impromptu Bollywood-like dance: shaking hips, moving hands and all. But then they got nice comments too: “Come to Bollywood”, “Yo! Cheerleader”. Haha... Good fun :)

Everyone saw me on TV
Past night at office, after work, got to have the unbound pleasure of seeing myself on TV! Oh dude, I was like “Woooooohoooooo!!” Past night it was just I who saw myself. Today, as I come to the office after the match, six of my colleagues plus so many people in the office canteen told me they saw me on TV today! Our news editor just told me he saw me twice! Yo man, I am famous already! Haha...

Don't miss the experience
Dude, seriously, do watch a match in the stadium (when India is likely to win). Ask me. Watched four out of five days' games. And now, after endless dancing, screaming and cheering (no booing), my voice is like perhaps how Rani Mukherjee would sound when she catches cold. And because of clapping so much, my hands are as red as the poor, defeated Aussies' face.

For today, the final day's play, the stadium was nearly filled to capacity. And when a thus-filled stadium, capable to seat around 65,000 people, has viewers getting into Mexican wave so often, the joy is like something you can't experience anywhere else. Here comes your turn, and you go “WHHOOOOAAAA..!!”

Thank you :)
Thanks to our sports editor who gave me the free passes for pavilion. Thanks to the jolly guys sitting near me. Had great fun cheering and hooting. Thanks to my job, whose timings allows me to go have fun throughout the day without having to take leave, and which enables me to get free passes! And of course, thanks to the players for putting up a great show.