Cricket comes to town

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Sorry guys, I know I am a day late but can't help homework and heaps to study. Guess Class XII would be more hectic than this.

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The MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk, Chennai

The above picture is of a place which I have never been inside of, but seen from outside. It is a place where drama has come alive. A place which still reminds regular visitors of that drama despite its renovation. A place where dreams have been both realised and shattered. The MA Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk, Chennai is no ordinary cricket ground. Cricket fans around the globe have great memories of cricket at this place, the most recent one in Test cricket being the India vs. England match in 2008.

I am fortunate enough to have this great ground a half an hour to 45 minutes drive away from my house. Ever since I became a fan of the game,whenever I think of the Marina Beach, I think of the stadium. Whenever I think of Triplicane, I think of the MAC. I have lived here long enough to know that a few minutes after we cross the Santhome Church, we come to "that" stretch of the Marina Beach-the most wonderful stretch of the beach-with institutions on the left and the beach on the right. We go ahead, passing the Queen Mary's college, the Lady Wellington school and a few other institutions on the left. We turn at a signal which faces a monument which is rather hard to describe. As we proceed, we pass the Marina Cricket Club ground from where a headlight of the Chepauk ground can be seen. We swerve round a corner and proceed further. We then see the stadium.

Test Cricket returns here after a gap of 4 years and nearly 2 months. Everyone knows what happened the last time a Test was played here. I was not part of the cricketing fraternity at that time, but had heard something about Sachin hitting a century soon after the 26/11 attacks. I came to know all the details of what happened when I became a fan of the game. It was clearly one of the best matches in history.

Michael Clarke and MS Dhoni pose with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the eve of the Test

I had been wanting to attend a match for sometime now. The first test of the new installment of the prestigious Border-Gavaskar series which is being held here presented a perfect opportunity. Naturally, I wanted to attend it badly. Alas, as I feared, the circumstances did not turn out to be right (I have my annual exams beginning on Tuesday and my atrocious Chemistry marks in the pre-annual evaluation don't help the cause. Plus, there are a few personal issues as well). I knew that my mother will not take me and had to drown any hopes of attending. My mother assured me that she will take me some day, but after 1 and a half years(which is when India next host a Test series) I will be eligible to take her myself (i.e. if at all Chennai gets to host a Test). Every cricket fan, at least once during his/her childhood would have watched a match live. But, for me, everything is happening upside down.

One of the reasons behind me wanting to attend this match was my feeling that this would be Sachin Tendulkar's last appearance at one of his favourite venues. It is no secret that Sachin likes to bat at this ground. There have been many memorable innings. There is something here that makes him click. Whether he scores a century or not would be immaterial to the people of Chennai, just a glimpse of him one last time would be sufficient. The 3 fours that he hit after arriving at the crease in the afternoon today were really wonderful to watch and there would definitely be many people wishing that he'd hit his 52nd Test 100 tomorrow.

 Another attraction would definitely be Michael Clarke. The Australian captain is one of the best batsmen in World Cricket today and no one in Chennai would want to miss the opportunity of watching him bat live. His century yesterday was fantastic and his consistency is just brilliant.
Those who attended the match yesterday were privileged to watch it. There has been enough proof in the past 18 months that captaincy acts as a boost for him instead of a burden.

 I know that Harbhajan Singh did not bowl well in the first innings, but this is a landmark test for him. It is his 100th appearance in Test Cricket. Any cricketer who gets the opportunity to represent his country in 100 tests deserves applause, even if his form has been ordinary in recent times. Representing your country in 100 Tests is no ordinary feat; it means you are a truly exceptional player who has put his blood, sweat and toil in the game. Harbhajan Singh is an exceptional player who has done great things for Indian cricket. He achieves this landmark in Chennai and there surely would be many people who would want to watch him live. Harbhajan also has a good record at Chennai; anyone remember the Test between India and Australia at Chennai in 2001?

There is one thing that is priceless in the life of a cricket fan: the experience of watching a Test or any match at the stadium. Whether your team wins or loses is immaterial; if you get to watch a good match, the satisfaction is more than enough. I am sure that there would be many people like me who haven't watched a match yet at the stadium. The people who did not attend the first 2 days of the test would be thirsting for the opportunity. What disturbed me 2 days ago was the fact that people who are not genuine fans of the game -in the sense that they watch only the IPL and ICC events- and people who are just not interested in the game, get to watch matches at the stadium, but people like me who watch all formats of the game do not get to go to the stadium due to circumstances. Well, I guess that is fate. The gaining of this priceless experience was another reason why I wanted to watch the game live. 

Hopefully, I get to gain this experience soon.

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Looking ahead in the Test match:

 

  

  

 The first 2 days have produced some exciting cricket. It is 50-50 at the end of day 2. Tomorrow, India would look to build on their momentum and get a first innings lead and the Aussies would try to get early breakthroughs. Day 3 should be an interesting day.