New Delhi: At 2:37 PM on Friday, the left-wing fence on the lowest tier of the Bishan Singh Bedi Stand at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here, around two hundred people flocked to get a view of senior Indian batter Virat Kohli, who is on state duty for the Delhi cricket team in its final group stage fixture in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
The scene unfolded three-and-a-half hours after the superstar batter misfired on his Ranji Trophy comeback, dismissed for a below-par six by Railways speedster Himanshu Sangwan. Just a delivery before his off-stump was sent cartwheeling, Kohli had ignited hopes of the raucous crowd of a ‘Masterclass’ by charging down the track and hitting Sangwan for a boundary.
That joy was cut short by the Railways pacer, who sent the veteran Indian player back to the ‘Virat Kohli Pavilion’.
Kohli Mania: The unprecedented crowd at Arun Jaitley Stadium
On Day 1, the crowd made this inconsequential match turn into a special occasion. Around 12,000 fans turned up in the stands to celebrate the return of their prodigal son to Kotla. With the anticipation of Kohli walking in to bat on the second day, the Delhi and District Association (DDCA) decided to open all the stands of the venue to accommodate enough spectators to prevent a state of turbulence as observed on the first day.
From cheers to disappointment
Following the dismissal of Kohli, the stadium was engulfed by the disappointment of the enthusiastic fans. Some of them had bunked colleges and schools to watch Kohli’s much-anticipated return to domestic cricket. Just minutes after his departure, the fans too departed from the venue are returned to their normal lives.
It was an easy day for the security personnel, including the bouncers, who had a very tiresome Thursday to manage the crowd. Vicky Bhatia, one of the bouncers, who ran to the pitch to catch the pitch intruder on Day 1, was very relieved to see the crowd get shortened.
Almost 75% of the crowd had vacated the stands with few staying back for the remaining part of the day.
Some of them were only there to get a glance at Kohli rather than watching the action. Even when Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni and Sumit Mathur stitched a counter-attacking partnership and rescued the home side for 97 for 4, the crowd didn’t show the same excitement to their strokes that Virat received for his straight drive in the morning.
Kartikeya Panjouri, a resident of Noida, who had bunked his college class, admitted that the spectators had their keen eye on the Virat Kohli pavilion just to get a glimpse of his cricketing hero.
The Virat Kohli Effect: Impact on match atmosphere & crowd behavior
“He was not clearly visible. So we wanted to watch Ayush complete his 100, so at least Virat would stand up to clap for him, and everyone could take a look at him for that moment,” Kartikeya told News9 Sports.
That moment never came for the crowd as the Delhi captain missed his fourth first-class ton by one run. He was caught by Kunal Yadav off Karn Sharma’s bowling for 99 in the 56th over of the Delhi innings.
The crowd was so eager to watch Kohli arrive at the crease that they were rooting for either Yash Dhull or Sanat Sangwan to be dismissed in the morning. The fans wanted to see Kohli come to the crease as soon as possible even if it came at a cost of a wicket of the team they were supporting.
Kartikeya said that the crowd was appealing for LBW shouts along with Railways bowlers in expectation of the arrival of the star Indian batter.
An unfriendly affair at Kotla
If you are Yash Dhull, it must be difficult to process the dismissal when your supporters cheered, uproariously, for your wicket. Even when his catches passed or missed through the slip cordons, the fans showed dejection with the Railway’s fielders for not breaking the second-wicket partnership.
In the end, the outcome was substandard as the time invested never gave the contentment. A few were contented with the fact that they at least got to watch Kohli.
At 3:45 PM, just an hour before the close of the day, the fans once again thronged near the fence adjacent to the “Virat Kohli Pavillion” and this time they chanted RCB….RCB….RCB.
But there wasn’t a single chant for the Delhi team on a day their middle order rescued the team from a precarious situation and put it in a commanding position following the superstar of world cricket’s failure to live up to the billing.
Virat Kohli’s early dismissal caused immediate disappointment, leading to a significant portion of the crowd leaving. The remaining fans focused more on catching a glimpse of Kohli than the action on the pitch, highlighting the intense fan devotion and the impact of his presence. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
