Day 5 at Wankhede
Can't write a full "diary", so just noting a few points -
--
The queues for the daily's ticket outside the stadium were so huge, that it was apparent that I am not in a minority hoping for an India win. Thankfully I had a season's pass and walked right in.
--
They weren't showing any replays on the giant screen visible from my perch. So I watched the whole match without watching a single replay, the "original old-fashioned way". Does make you appreciate the value of television coverage.
--
Watching cricket this way also made me understand why cricket is a batsman's game. Watching the game at the ground, you can appreciate batting skills no matter where you sit. The poetic sound of bat hitting ball, the way the ball races away grabbing the spotlight all the way to the boundary. To appreciate bowling however is very difficult. Sitting above the sight-screens, it might be possible to note the turn of the ball, its loop, or its movement in the air or off the pitch. But from anywhere else, there is nothing too "artistic" bout the bowling. It became possible to watch and enjoy bowling only with television where because of the caemra, every TV spectator feels like he is sitting near the sight-screen. Naturally when the game was in its initial days, batting gained superiority over bowling.
--
The crowd, almost baffled by the whole boo-hoo over booing, kept cheering Sachin every few minutes just to set the record straight.
--
Yes, the cheer greeting Dhoni's arrival did match that of Sachin's. MSD certainly is the new superstar of Indian cricket, and deservedly so. Notwithstanding today's dismissals.
--
A powerful throw by Anderson from the deep thuds into Jones' gloves right above the stumps. The crowd applauds the near perfection.
--
Shaun Udal - another one who will be indebted to the Indian nation for helping him get his 15 minutes. No wonder people like India so much.
--
As the 8th wicket falls, Tony asks me "Do you think Flintoff will take off his shirt in Mumbai again?". Hmmm...indeed!
--
It's over. England has won. The series is levelled. The entire crowd gives them a standing ovation. Flintoff and team come out before the presnetation and do a round of the ground, applauding the entire crowd and thanking them. Flintoff and Hoggard realise what old fogeys like Vengsarkar and Wadekar don't - that the "Flintoff is a b*****d" and "Hoggy is a doggy/homo" chants are the North Stand's version of friendly banter and no offence is meant. Yes, they may not appeal to our sensibilities....I certainly won't take part in such a chant. But Flintoff and Hoggard realised that a knowledgeable crowd is known by the response it gives to displays of excellence by the opposition. And on that count, the Wankhede crowd is as good as any. Even the Barmy Army is quoted in the papers saying that the crowd here is a lot more appreciative and fair than crowds in Australia.
--
Flintoff has turned into quite the statesman. Mature batting, incisive bowling, and a great gesture at the end of the series.
--
Dravid's name is called during the presentation. The entire stadium erupts into chants of "We Want Sourav!!". I don't think most of them mean it, but it is a harsh rebuke to Dravid. Right from making the wrong decision at the toss, to persisting with the mistaken 5-bowler strategy, to leading an ultra-defensive response to England's target, this has been Dravid's nadir as a leader. He seems to be slipping back into the pre-2001 mode when he seemed to value occupation of the crease more important than scoring runs.
--
People are walking up to the Englishmen in the crowds and congratulating them on this win. That's getting a bit too saccharine for my taste. I am pissed off and walk out of the stadium disappointed that my "debut test" and probably my last one for at least 4-5 years has ended thus.
--
The queues for the daily's ticket outside the stadium were so huge, that it was apparent that I am not in a minority hoping for an India win. Thankfully I had a season's pass and walked right in.
--
They weren't showing any replays on the giant screen visible from my perch. So I watched the whole match without watching a single replay, the "original old-fashioned way". Does make you appreciate the value of television coverage.
--
Watching cricket this way also made me understand why cricket is a batsman's game. Watching the game at the ground, you can appreciate batting skills no matter where you sit. The poetic sound of bat hitting ball, the way the ball races away grabbing the spotlight all the way to the boundary. To appreciate bowling however is very difficult. Sitting above the sight-screens, it might be possible to note the turn of the ball, its loop, or its movement in the air or off the pitch. But from anywhere else, there is nothing too "artistic" bout the bowling. It became possible to watch and enjoy bowling only with television where because of the caemra, every TV spectator feels like he is sitting near the sight-screen. Naturally when the game was in its initial days, batting gained superiority over bowling.
--
The crowd, almost baffled by the whole boo-hoo over booing, kept cheering Sachin every few minutes just to set the record straight.
--
Yes, the cheer greeting Dhoni's arrival did match that of Sachin's. MSD certainly is the new superstar of Indian cricket, and deservedly so. Notwithstanding today's dismissals.
--
A powerful throw by Anderson from the deep thuds into Jones' gloves right above the stumps. The crowd applauds the near perfection.
--
Shaun Udal - another one who will be indebted to the Indian nation for helping him get his 15 minutes. No wonder people like India so much.
--
As the 8th wicket falls, Tony asks me "Do you think Flintoff will take off his shirt in Mumbai again?". Hmmm...indeed!
--
It's over. England has won. The series is levelled. The entire crowd gives them a standing ovation. Flintoff and team come out before the presnetation and do a round of the ground, applauding the entire crowd and thanking them. Flintoff and Hoggard realise what old fogeys like Vengsarkar and Wadekar don't - that the "Flintoff is a b*****d" and "Hoggy is a doggy/homo" chants are the North Stand's version of friendly banter and no offence is meant. Yes, they may not appeal to our sensibilities....I certainly won't take part in such a chant. But Flintoff and Hoggard realised that a knowledgeable crowd is known by the response it gives to displays of excellence by the opposition. And on that count, the Wankhede crowd is as good as any. Even the Barmy Army is quoted in the papers saying that the crowd here is a lot more appreciative and fair than crowds in Australia.
--
Flintoff has turned into quite the statesman. Mature batting, incisive bowling, and a great gesture at the end of the series.
--
Dravid's name is called during the presentation. The entire stadium erupts into chants of "We Want Sourav!!". I don't think most of them mean it, but it is a harsh rebuke to Dravid. Right from making the wrong decision at the toss, to persisting with the mistaken 5-bowler strategy, to leading an ultra-defensive response to England's target, this has been Dravid's nadir as a leader. He seems to be slipping back into the pre-2001 mode when he seemed to value occupation of the crease more important than scoring runs.
--
People are walking up to the Englishmen in the crowds and congratulating them on this win. That's getting a bit too saccharine for my taste. I am pissed off and walk out of the stadium disappointed that my "debut test" and probably my last one for at least 4-5 years has ended thus.
