Reporter Bipin Kumar Singh found Mumbai's spirit well and kicking at the Wankhede Stadium stands, as India played Sri Lanka in the World Cup final
Reporter Bipin Kumar Singh found Mumbai's spirit well and kicking at the Wankhede Stadium stands, as India played Sri Lanka in the World Cup finalSilence fell on the stadium as Virendra Sehwag fell to Lasith Malinga's ball in the very first over of India's innings. Next to me, a man clutched his heart and groaned, while a woman wearing a Bleed Blue T-shirt looked as if the blood had drained out of her face. A moment later, a voice rang out, 'Come on, come on, BOYS!'
The cheering resumed, and soon, the noise from drums and vuvuzelas threatened to drown it out. The game continued.u00a0
MiD DAY reporter Bipin Kumar Singh shows off his ticket with
other spectators ready to get into Wankhede Stadium.
Pic/ Bipin KokateA lot has been said about the spirit of the city and how Mumbai rises swiftly after a setback. Well, Sehwag's wicket was nothing short of a disaster, but it didn't take long for spectators to return to their buoyant self. I remember thinking to myself then, even if we lose this match, we'll still be proud of 'our boys'.
I saw this attitude among commuters in a train to Churchgate too. Hundreds, with their faces painted in the tri-colour and dressed in Indian team jerseys, thronged platforms and train compartments, waving the Indian flag, whistling and cheering, chanting slogans like "Jai Ho" and "Chak De India".
This was nothing short of a carnival, and just as fans poured into the streets to dance after India defeated Pakistan last Wednesday, the blue mass heading to Wankhede broke into spontaneous dances ever so often.
None of us had ever witnessed this huge a deployment of security personnel. Random checks were conducted at all stations and Churchgate had been turned into a fortress. With barricades, fences and stop signs all over the place, thousands walked for at least two km to reach the stadium. Three fire tenders and three ambulances stood outside each gate of the stadium. At least 200 policemen were stationed at the gates to assist the crowd in case of medical emergencies. There was no one to man the large queues though, and fights broke out in the crowd, already edgy with anticipation.
I took two hours to reach gate number four and head towards the Sachin Tendulkar Standu00a0-- no complaints there; it was worth the wait. After passing through nine screenings by CISF personnel, the final check was conducted at B-33, before I could take my seat. It was a breathtaking sightu00a0-- the stadium with its capacity of 33,000 ufffd seemed to reflect the colour of the Arabian Sea behind us, as everyone wore blue.
Sitting close to us were 200 Sri Lankan fans, and I can tell you, they really stood out. All of us watched with bated breath as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara walked into the field for the toss. The national anthems played, the Sri Lankans took their place at the wickets, and the boys in blue fanned across on the field.
