Guwahati, Oct. 10: It was a packed house on debut this evening for the ACA Stadium at Barsapara as an international venue here despite a match-threatening drizzle, surge-pricing by app-based cabs and a below-par India show.
Thousands of cricket fans from the city and outside made it to the new home of Assam cricket for the second T20 international between India and Australia. Most of them walked, others took cabs and autorickshaws, to reach the ground for the 7pm start. The most enthusiastic fans sported Team India shirts, caps or painted their faces in Team India colours while others carried the Tricolour and blew whistles.
Rakesh Saha from Bengal, who was selling blue shirts, flags and caps purchased from Bangalore, along with 20 others, said the response was overwhelming. "The crowd was good and the sales were good. But at one point we thought it would be a washout. We will go to Hyderabad for the last match of the T20 series," he said. With India losing by eight wickets, the last tie in Hyderabad will be the decider.
Fifteen-year-old Aditya Choudhury of Jorhat said they had a tough time making it to the ground because of the rush and the drizzle. "We could not take Ola or Uber cabs because they were charging over Rs 300 for a 8km ride. But we still made it," he said.
Several fans said the two app-based cab services made "a killing" as demand soared because of the interest in the game - the return of international cricket to the city after seven years. The last tie here was between India and New Zealand at Nehru Stadium in 2010.
It was the first big night for the 37,500-capacity Barsapara stadium. "The turnout, despite the threat of a washout, shows the craze for the sport# in the city and the region. It is a good start for us," an Assam Cricket Association (ACA) official said.
After the on-the-dot start, India opener Rohit Sharma hit the first ball to the fence and left the packed house in raptures. There were thousands waiting outside the stadium looking for a ticket or a pass to get in. "We would have been more happy had we been inside. But it's okay. We can say we were there on Barsapara's big night," said Avishek Baruah.
ACA, which hosted its first Ranji match in 2013, marked the occasion by getting the stadium inaugurated by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal before the start of the match. Senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with other government bigwigs, turned up for the match. Sonowal hoped a "world class" Barsapara would further boost Dispur's efforts to make Guwahati the "sports capital of the country".
A visiting senior journalist was impressed with the turnout despite the Met office saying there were "rain-producing clouds hovering over the city". He hoped the ACA had taken care of the media tribune, which did not have Internet connectivity for most part of the match and adequate TV sets.
To the Virats and Dhonis of the city, however, Barsapara, still a work in progress, has made a solid start to its international career, despite the drizzle, the app-cab surge-pricing and a below-par India performance.
