By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANS
Dhaka : As Rahul Dravid's side clashed with Bangladesh in the first one-day international here Thursday, a second 'Indian team' played an important role at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium – the ground staff, which was also dressed in the same blue combination.
This uniform of the ground staff is only for international matches. On non-match days they wear their traditional, predominantly green shirts and trousers while working.
Dressed in exactly the same light blue colour as the Indian team, with navy blue stripes running down from shoulder to trousers, and in matching caps, the large ground staff for a moment confused some people at the stadium with their strikingly similar uniform.
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Match boosts sales
Thursday's match in Mirpur, a southern suburb of Dhaka, boosted sales in the markets surrounding the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Those running small restaurants just outside the stadium were the biggest beneficiaries.
One restaurant owner said his income increases manifold on the day of an international match. "On the day of the match, my sales go up by 300 percent to 400 percent," said Mahboobul Alam with a big smile.
"The new stadium in Mirpur is a boon for nearby markets," he added.
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Long queues crossed over bridges
Long, winding queues were seen from early in the morning as people waited to get inside the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium for the first match that India and Bangladesh played after the World Cup in March-April.
The queues were so long that many people had to stand on the pedestrian bridges across the road even in the morning drizzle. The biggest crowd was seen near Gate No. 1 where the absence of discipline resulted in chaos.
Little wonder then that when the match started, the 40,000-capacity stadium was packed to the brim, with spectators cheering every boundary or six.
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Shastri makes debut as coach
Former India captain Ravi Shastri made his debut as an interim national coach at the first one-day internationals against Bangladesh here. Shastri, who played 80 Tests and 150 ODIs, had turned to television commentary after retirement in 1992.
When Greg Chappell's two-year contract with the Indian cricket board ended after the World Cup in March-April, Shastri accepted the invitation to be an interim 'cricket manager', his exact designation.
A staunch critic of the way the Indian board functions, Shastri will not be able to do commentary during the current Bangladesh tour. But he is expected to return to the commentary box during India's next overseas tour of England.