Cricket is hurting, the empty stands tell you that

By Chetan Narula

At the Feroz Shah Kotla, there were a couple of grimaces prominently visible. The first was of course on the face of Alastair Cook. That loud sigh emanating when Virat Kohli went on a cover-driving spree said it all. Any captain would be in some trouble explaining two heavy defeats in a row, especially after a pronounced successful experience in the summer. After England went down to India by eight wickets - a margin hailed better than the 126-run win in the first ODI - their skipper didn’t have much to say in the post-match conference.

The other grimace was all over the face of DDCA officials, even those who enjoyed a sumptuous meal in the afternoon, while the many journalists had to make do with rationed biscuits and sandwiches. The stands were half empty. More than half of the 45,000-odd seats were looking for fans, none were to be found. The official figures from Tuesday’s match stood at 20,250. ‘They will fill up as the match progresses, more will come as India gets to bat,’ one of the officials was quoted as saying. It didn’t happen.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise really. Almost in its entirety, the Champions League T20 was played out in front of empty stands in three cricket loving cities of the country. The first ODI at Hyderabad too witnessed empty stands and this was almost a carryover, where uniformed policeman didn’t have an overbearing crowd to manage. Instead they watched Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli maul the English bowling just as their Hyderabad colleagues had previously watched R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja tie up the English batting in knots. The shocking part though was Delhi’s cold shoulder to an ODI featuring India, two of the eleven born and brought up in the same city!

The national capital isn’t known for its mannerisms when a cricket match comes about. Half a decade ago you could blame it on the size of the ground. Then, a capacity of only about 25,000 and more than seventy percent of the tickets would be distributed by the DDCA as complimentary passes. During the World Cup, the Delhi High Court passed orders that only 10,000 tickets (per match) were to be distributed as passes so that the common man had a chance to get in through the Kotla gates. The affinity for passes is well seen from the fact that a local-based journalist, who knows one of the officials well, arranged five passes for his family during one of the Delhi Daredevils games this past IPL season.

Parking was a nightmare and continues to be so, with roads near the busy ITO offices and the famous Bal Bhavan choked with vehicles. Standard parking rates do not apply, still. Expect to shell out hundred bucks to the attendants who on a normal day would keep an eye on your car for one-tenth the price. Perhaps this was the only ‘India match here’ in recent memory when there were tickets available at the counter a day before the match, whilst on game-day parking attendants waited for the vehicles to turn up. It was almost West Indies versus South Africa in the World Cup, again.

When the gates are not flooded with people, passes are not in demand and roads leading to the stadium stand empty in Delhi, you know there is something seriously wrong. Common place cynicism would say it was the shocking performance in England, compounded by the T20 effect and that the match was staged on a Monday. Perhaps it is a summation of all three, but the bigger question to ask is, if anyone is really bothered? The BCCI sells television rights for as high sums as possible and schedules the itineraries around it, when their prerogative should be to get the best dates, in the best interests of those watching. The working-day argument doesn’t apply because matches everywhere cannot be held on a weekend. But from the Champions League T20 to the Challenger Trophy to this Airtel Cup between two top ranked nations who just stopped jousting in England a month ago, it has been a non-stop ride that is slowly becoming arduous to bear. ‘Who wants to watch cricket? Let them have it’, is slowly becoming the refrain.

The answers, unknowingly, lay elsewhere. Why must Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai get two high profile matches in one home season? According to the Board’s rotation policy, they missed out on games in the past, either due to suspension or renovation. Kolkata even missed their hottest World Cup fixture. But compensation need not come at a price higher than the game can afford. The idea ought to be to take the game deeper into the country while allowing crowds in bigger cities, reeling under an overdose, time to recover. Which state association is willing to make this sacrifice and change an age-old practice, it must be wondered.

The plan has to be furtive and forthcoming. Say, let the ODIs be taken to smaller towns. A few years ago Cuttack wildly rejoiced at the opportunity to host the Challenger tournament. Imagine their happiness at being awarded regular ODIs. A Test culture needs to be cultivated at centres that appreciate this format – Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. Make sure the financial power of IPL is spread out wider as compensation. Tradition is what attracts the crowds in Australia, South Africa and England year on year. It has to be the watchword going forward, not just money.

‘Demand creates supply’ is the basic rule of economics. In the current context, cricket is hurting. Writhing in its pain are the fans who just don’t know whether to switch off the television sets or their brains. So much so most of them chose to sit in office on Monday than extend their weekend and rejoice in the trouncing India handed out to England. Make them want this pleasure than offering dollops of it on a silver platter, lest the game eventually dies.

The writer is the author of Skipper: A Definitive Account of India’s Greatest Captains.