Date:23/11/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/11/23/stories/2005112317790200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

It was a waiting game for fans

Sandhya Soman and Meera Srinivasan

Vendors capitalise on the cricketing spirit of the thousands who turned up

DONNING WAR PAINT: Fans getting the tricolour painted on their cheeks at the M.A.Chidambaram stadium on Tuesday. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Sandhya Soman

and Meera Srinivasan

CHENNAI: The game was over in about two hours. The waiting game, that is. Fans of cricket flocked to the M.A. Chidambaram stadium from as early as 11 a.m. on Tuesday, hoping to catch brilliant moments of cricket, in the third ODI match of the Pepsi Cup series between India and South Africa.

Despite a heavy downpour at quarter past one and a few more shower-spells that followed, the Chennai crowd waited patiently at the stadium, before it was finally announced at 3.30 p.m. that the match had been called off.

Nobody seemed to give up till then. Heads rose skyward frequently, hoping that the overwhelming black clouds would pass by soon. A few of them frantically made calls to their friends to find out if there were any updates on television. A few others listened to the radio on their mobile phones.

A white shorts and T-shirt-clad Harbhajan Singh walked into the ground at around 12.45 p.m. and spoke to the groundsmen. The crowd roared and clapped for Bhajji, who went back to the dressing room, after a brief discussion with the stadium officials.

"I have paid Rs. 800 for my ticket. Let me at least have the pleasure of coming on TV," said a middle-aged fan, waving and smiling, as the camera focussed on the stands. Meanwhile, whacky SMS-s were on rounds, giving many a good laugh.

Small-time vendors capitalised on the cricketing spirit of thousands. Flags, headbands, paper trumpets and paints were sold outside all the gates. A few enthusiastic fans walked around with painting brushes, eagerly trying to spot welcoming foreheads and cheeks. A few school-going girls, led by Amanda, inside the stadium were willing to paint people's faces for free, too. "Oh, never mind the money. I love India," said one of them.

Five arrested

A special team headed by Inspector Mohamed Aslam arrested five persons for selling tickets in black around Chepauk area. A police release gave their names as Srinivasan, Kannan, Velayudham, Balaji and Venkatesh, in the age group of 26 to 32. The police seized tickets of Rs.200 and Rs.700 denomination and cash Rs.2,000.