Mohali: Exiting from the stadium after an India victory is never easy. Fans just do not seem to want to leave the premises, instead preferring to continue to celebrate in and outside the stadium. One of the other reasons is also that most television channels are keen to shoot their celebrations.
The Punjab Cricket Association stadium is situated in a residential area, and the exit leads to a narrow street that can hardly accommodate the rush coming out of the stadium. After Virat Kohli’s knock blew away the Australians, fans were delirious. Many groups had come in with drums and they played them all the time while dancing to the beats. Punjab is famous for the bhangra (a traditional dance), and most fans were seen performing it on the streets.
It wasn’t an easy entry for fans into the stadium as well, and most ticket holders were stopped to let in the VIPs, especially top politicians. In a place with very little space, the VIPs came in with escorted cars, and many fans prevented the VIP cars from entering. A few angry fans climbed the stadium walls, forcing the policemen to climb after them and pull them down. Amidst all this chaos, even the Team India bus got stuck, unable to get into the stadium.
A group of fans who managed to get in only after Australia had played seven overs remarked: “Together we spent nearly Rs 18,000 (Dh1,000) for our tickets, but we have to wait for these VIPs who haven’t spent any money from their pockets but will watch the match on complimentary passes.”
Many fans had the name Yuvraj (Singh) painted on their faces. Being the local boy, he received thunderous applause when he was called in to bowl.
The Indian women’s team, which lost by three runs to the West Indies, stayed back to watch the men’s match. After seeing Virat’s knock they seemed to have forgotten all about their sorrow.
Before the start of the match, a sixty-year-old lady was hit on the head by a Kohli shot. Kohli was practicing his big hits when the ball crossed the fence and hit her. The ambulance that came in to take her to the hospital too got stuck in the traffic jam outside.
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, also known as Mad Max, was also a crowd favourite since he plays for Kings Punjab XI in the Indian Premier League. When he started hitting, one spectator shouted: “Maxwell, please don’t make us mad.” But when Kohli was in full flow, one fan came up with a banner: “It is a Viratastic knock.”
Finally, fans left the stadium but only after the Indian team left. They were unable to catch a glimpse of the players since the bus had tinted glass windows. But they all waved to the team, shouting “Jeetega bhai jeetega, India semi-final bi jeetega” (India will win the semi-final too)!
