A DAY AT THE OVAL

For most Indian cricket fans, watching Test cricket in Australia or England is one of those things we would love to experience first hand. Watching TV coverage as a young boy in India beamed from these distant lands in the early days of India’s satellite TV revolution, I remember being enthralled by the bright pictures showing lush outfields, picturesque pavilions and packed houses enjoying their day in the sun, all topped off with top class commentators who truly conveyed the history and tradition of the game – a particularly strong contrast to the TV coverage of matches in India which always seemed to come across as being played in a hazy smog-like atmosphere with teeming fans in the grounds pressed up against the fence “guarding” the playing area. While of course, the Indian cricket experience has improved manifold, as evidenced by shiny new stadia at the World Cup, there always seemed to be something special about watching cricket in the “traditional” cricketing nations. So for me, spending a day at Lord’s last month, and this week at the Oval was a real treat, notwithstanding India’s surprisingly dismal showing on its tour of England.

My day began with a stop at the corner store to equip me with a few snacks to keep me going through the day (water, crisps, bananas and chocolate) before jumping on the Northern Line on the Tube network. The beauty about watching sports in London is that since very few people drive in the city, you see a lot of fans commuting to the ground along with you on the train. I sat down next to an English father and son duo who were eagerly talking about the day’s play. The father was explaining how England will want to go hard at the Indians today given the possibility of rain, and was hoping for a good day’s cricket. “That’s the beauty of the 5-day game, the weather can always play a hand”. This brought a smile to my heart seeing an excited young boy hearing the virtues of the Test game in this era of T20. England certainly seems to appreciate the Test format and it was heartening to see the love for it being passed down to the next generation.

I reached the ground and quickly found my seat in the Laker balcony located adjacent to the Members stand with its own separate entrance. I was impressed and then reminded myself this was an 80 pound ticket so it better have been good!! The view was fantastic – fairly high up in the stand behind mid-on giving me a nice sense of the action. I was seated in an area surrounded by mostly English supporters with a few India-shirted compatriots sprinkled around. In front of me were a group of smart, middle-aged men who had the beer flowing early. Behind me was a group of four or five guys decked out in their finest cricket whites and panama hats, also of course, with beer cups in hand. 

The first hour was classic Test cricket – controlled fast bowling from Broad and testing spin from Swann being met with resistance (for a change) from the Indians, led by their captain Dhoni and their star of the series, Rahul Dravid. While Dhoni appeared less at ease, Dravid looked fluent. The ground was close to full on this fourth day of the match, no doubt hoping to see a good contest, and there was a buzz in the crowd, applauding the good shots and “ooohing” and “aaahing” when the ball beat bat. Dhoni’s dismissal got things going with the crowd likely expecting an early end to the innings. Amit Mishra showed some fight though and played some nice shots including a six off Swann to ring in the lunch break which brought him some well-deserved cheers from the crowd.

I smartly ducked out a few minutes before the lunch break to grab a bite before the hordes descended onto the concession stands. However, getting back to my seat right bang in the middle of the break took a bit more time! By mid-way through the post-lunch session with the sun starting to break through, you could feel a much more lively vibe from the crowd, with lots of singing and cheering coming from a few sections in particular, no doubt enhanced with the combined effect of the alcohol and sun kicking in! Soon enough, the “wave” began in one corner, spreading across the stadium with huge cheers rising in unison with outstretched arms in the sky section-by-section. The funniest thing was the “wave” would always hit a snag when it reached the Members stand where the old-timers either didn’t know what to do or chose not to participate. Either way, every time the wave reached them and no one rose from there, people in our section (closest to them) would let out loud “boooos” and then the adjacent section on the other side of the Members stand would pick up the wave and keep it moving. It was quite a hoot.  

While all this good spirit kept the crowd suitably self-entertained, the action out in the middle was entering an interesting period with Dravid going strong, courageously supported by a dour Gambhir, batting with the after-effects of a mild concussion. You could begin to sense that India was finally showing a semblance of fight and the longer these two could bat on here, the higher their chances of survival in the second innings. But suddenly, a sharp bouncer from Broad got Gambhir hopping and edging to gully and despite some hitting from RP Singh, the innings was soon over.  Dravid remained undefeated with 146 against his name and got a warm ovation from the crowd. Ironically with everyone’s obsession with this being one great Indian cricketer’s last tour of England, it’s a shame another great Indian cricketer’s last tour isn’t met with the same level of appreciation. But I suppose it’s always been this way with Dravid and his unrelenting stoicism that flies under the radar. It was an epic effort by a great cricketer – one of India’s best ever – who will be missed more than we realize. If nothing else, as a cricket fan, I will remember watching one of Rahul Dravid’s greatest innings against a tough opposition and with little support. There was a moment when I was sitting and mulling what I would say if people ask me whether it was lonely going to watch the match by myself. Then I saw Dravid standing in the middle away from the England huddle, leaning on his bat, all by himself after he had lost yet another partner, and I thought, now THAT is a man who is really alone!!

So India was made to follow-on, which meant they’d have to negotiate 30-odd overs before the end of the day. With the sun now out in full force, and perhaps a tiring England bowling lineup, this was India’s time to shine and who better than Sehwag to launch a massive counter attack. In imitable fashion, he under-edged a swipe for four to Anderson’s first ball bringing the crowd to life. A few balls later, he pinged a trademark square drive that, I swear, travelled to the fence quicker than you could say “Viru aaram sey”. The crowd was well and truly in full form at this point with lots of cheers and songs heard from around the ground. The middle-aged bunch of guys in front of me, who I reckon must have consumed at least 7-8 pints by now, began chanting a song in support of James Anderson - “Jimmmmmyyy Jimmmmmyyy.... Jimmyyy Jimmmyyy Anderssooonnnnnnnn” as he was going through this run up. Funny how beer makes these otherwise regular guys want to sing at the top of their lungs!! Good fun.

Unfortunately for the Indians, Dravid finally got out, and got another great ovation from the crowd on his way back to the pavilion – quite possibly the grandest reception for a batsman out for 13! Sehwag was bowled soon after by a beauty from Swann, which brought in the other great man, Tendulkar, for his last Test innings in England. Another customary standing ovation, and Sachin was away with a edged boundary off Swann first ball. A few nice shots by two champion batsmen, Laxman and Tendulkar, interspersed with close calls with edges and beats off Swann, and again, it was compelling cricket. The biggest roar of the day probably came about shortly after when an Anderson special knocked Laxman’s off stump out of the ground, which tipped the day well and truly in England’s favour with victory on the 5^th day likely only a matter of time. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable day spent in the glorious English sun watching top-class cricket with a fun and appreciative crowd. Long live Test cricket in England.