Kolkata: Gloom spread all over Wankhede stadium after India lost to West Indies in the semi-final here on Thursday. For the last three matches, I was used to walking amidst fans celebrating India’s victory after the match, but on Thursday it was like joining a funeral procession out of the stadium. No loud cheers, no dancing fans, and almost everyone walked with their heads down. Many had wrapped the Indian flag around their body and quietly slipped into the nearby Churchgate railway station to board their train home.
Arriving in Kolkata by the early morning flight, the scene wasn’t any different. The flyover collapse that killed and injured many was the talk of the city. Known as the City of Joy, being surrounded by mourning wasn’t pleasant. “It’s good that India is not playing the final. With the city plunged in sorrow, there would have been protests on India playing cricket at this time,” remarked a scribe from Kolkata, who was also flying in with me from Mumbai.
The Wankhede stadium is now being blamed for India’s defeat. Some believe that this venue turns lucky for India only if it is a final because this is the third time India lost a semi-final here. The first was in the 1987 World Cup when England’s Graham Gooch swept India out of the match. In the 1989 MRF Nehru Cup, West Indies bowled India out for a low score.
Some Indian fans were upset that dew had ended their team’s journey to the final. “It has become so normal in Mumbai that anyone who loses the toss is sure to lose the match. Something must be done to keep away the dew, or every match will be a farce here,” remarked an agitated fan. Since Mumbai is also a city of film lovers a fan waved a placard reminding all of the famous English movie that India had “Gone with the Wind.”
Many had assumed it could be the (Chris) Gayle storm that would hit India, but it turned out that dew drops dampened the team.
In the same note, West Indies also proved that their team was not a one-man army. After the match many admitted that the West Indies were now an 11-man army - with everyone as dangerous as Gayle. A local newspaper had punned a headline: “India’s March ends on 31st.”
Right until this match, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was being credited for the super performance of the Indian players. Yesterday the same IPL was blamed for producing the likes of India’s vanquisher Lendl Simmons, who plays for Mumbai Indians. He commented that he had improved as a player because of this league and that the Wankhede stadium was his home ground.
Since the West Indies women’s team too had earlier booked their berth in the final, a Mumbai volunteer remarked: “Is it Ladies First for the West Indies as well?”
