By the time play ended on Saturday evening, there was little doubt as to how Sunday would pan out for the fans. With Sachin Tendulkar unbeaten overnight on 71, the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was expected to heave with hysterical masses swaying to the beat of the little master’s bat.
The pulsation was felt from the wee hours of Sunday as fans filled the roads adjoining the stadium, desperately looking to grab tickets.
The collective prayers for a Tendulkar hundred went unanswered as the maestro was out for 81. As soon as he walked back to the dressing room, the noise levels dipped a bit before suddenly soaring high. The reason? M.S. Dhoni strode out to the centre. There was to be more screaming and clapping for the rest of the day as the Indian captain lorded over the Aussies, scoring a thrill-a-second unbeaten double hundred.
Bonding over boundaries
With the blazing sun showing little mercy on spectators seated in the ‘D’ lower stand, they opted to move over to a vacant area on the periphery to escape the heat. The police and the stadium volunteers didn’t look at it too kindly.
While they asked the people to go back to their original seats, fans began objecting to the instruction.
Arguments, some of which were heated, ensued. But every time Virat Kohli or Dhoni hit a boundary, the squabbling was stopped abruptly and unbridled roars emanated.
Clarke shakes a leg
Michael Clarke certainly knows how to endear himself to the masses. With the match hurtling away from Australia in the third session, the captain took time off to entertain the audience.
The giant screen at the stadium, over the last three days, has been flashing fan messages and tributes.
During the weekend, Clarke encountered requests, asking him to dance.
‘Pup’ obliged on several occasions, breaking into a jig. Sunil Gavaskar had, in his M.A.K. Pataudi memorial lecture recently, called for cricketers to have a little more fun on the field. The players certainly seemed to be doing that.
