'Fan-tastic' experience at Dharamsala

A fan tries his hand at virtual batting with a VR headset yesterday. Pics/Ashwin Ferro

The fan experience during an India cricket match is not always the best. It begins with vehicle parking a few kilometres away from the venue followed by serpentine queues hours before the toss, heavy frisking by mostly high-handed security personnel at the gates and then extremely expensive food and drink. However, it was a refreshing change to see the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) authorities organise numerous free and entertaining fan-engagement activities during the India v New Zealand game on Sunday.

A cricket enthusiast faces deliveries in the bowling simulator at the HPCA Stadium yesterday

Prominent among them is a cricket simulator set-up through the collaboration of UK-based company BatFast and USA's Altius. Fans could simply walk in to the stall and register for free to play an over against some of the world's most feared and famous bowlers, ranging from Shoaib Akhtar to Shane Warne. "This is the first time that anything like this has been set-up at a cricket match in India. We have been working with the HPCA for the last couple of months and this initiative is the outcome of that association. Our company has a global presence across 16 countries and are keen to launch in India too with an eye on the Indian Premier League," N Srinishant, marketing manager with BatFast, tells mid-day.

The Make Your Banner stall

A few steps ahead of the simulator is a virtual reality batting game, where a fan can put on a VR headset and enjoy batting in a match situation. A third stall nearby offers an artificial intelligence-backed application, where fans can emote with a virtual stadium in the background and India captain Rohit Sharma and pace ace Jasprit Bumrah almost magically appear standing next to them in a video.

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The fanzone, where people can pose in a virtual stadium with Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah beside them

There is also a free Make Your Banner stall, where an artist is helping fans make their own creative banners, with chart paper and colours all being provided for free. "Internationally, most sporting events are family outings and the idea is to repeat that here for the Indian cricket fan. Most of these fan-engagement experiences can be enjoyed by people of all ages, right from a five-year-old toddler to a 70-year-old grandmother," says Srinishant even as a young family standing beside him nods in agreement.