By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Kanpur : There is a strange, enthusiastic and chaotic feel about an international match at the historic Green Park here, with hundreds of people pulling the right strings to get match passes and a vantage position to watch the action, and officials threatening now and then to stop issuing tickets to even the stake holders.
The scene at the Green Park Saturday, on the eve of the third India-Pakistan One-Day International, was no different with the organisers throwing their weight around even as hordes of people chased them and tried to coax them for passes. Similar scenes are witnessed at any cricket venue in India, but Green Park stands out for its history of chaos and mismanagement.
While the city roads were deserted Saturday, with people celebrating Gowardhan Puja, thousands of policemen laid a virtual siege in and around the stadium, far outnumbering the public. The local policemen on the roads were seen taking it easy, while some on duty at the stadium tried unnecessarily to throw their clout.
When a journalist tried to enter the stadium, a policeman insisted he enter from the locked, small gate. “That is the gate for the media,” he told the journalist. After a few minutes of arguments, the policeman relented and allowed him to enter when he showed proof of his identity.
Inside the stadium, people converged near the pitch, watching intently and excitedly as technicians tried to fix the pitch microphones et all for the match. While the television channels tried to get a byte from the curator – he is the most important person on the eve of any cricket match in this country – the policemen on duty around the pitch tried to keep people away from getting closer to the most sensitive area of the ground.
The crowd inside the stadium would have been bigger had the two teams opted for a net practice session. The teams landed in Lucknow from Chandigarh in the afternoon and then drove down in buses 90 km from the Uttar Pradesh capital to this bustling city.
But by that time, the sun had set for the practice, and a few members of the television production team used the nets for recreation.
Another mandatory ‘battle’ on the eve of an international cricket match is between the organisers and the non-covering media personnel who just want to watch the action. On Saturday too, there were vehement arguments from both sides with each group justifying its stand.
On the last count, the organisers had relented to issue passes for the non-covering media.