India are the main drawcard in cricket (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Watching fans walking around with ladders next to a cricket ground may be a baffling sight. But it’s pretty common when India are in town. As was the case when they started their tour of Australia in Perth recently.
Fans resorted to those drastic measures because India’s first training sessions at the iconic WACA ground were closed off to the public, with big shade cloth covering the entirety of the nets.
There had been speculation that the blanket ban was due to India wanting to train amid secrecy amid the local tabloid newspaper splashing ‘lockdown’ headlines as if a lunatic was waving a gun around the WACA.
But it is believed that the tarp was enforced for safety reasons and to ensure a mass of fans didn’t congregate on the walkways with a busy school nearby.
Whatever the reason, fans and media on day one of India training stood on retaining walls to catch a glimpse of the Indians going through their paces.
Some even poked holes into the shade cloth with their nails, while other adventurous souls climbed a tree conveniently overlooking the nets. A security officer on patrol tried to throw his weight around but mostly to no avail.
Fans went to great lengths to watch Virat Kohli in the WACA nets (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
On arrival to the second day of India’s training, and fans were greeted by a shade cloth that had extended in length. Simply climbing on retaining walls was now pointless. But some Indian fans were well prepared as they came armed with ladders to ensure they got to watch their heroes ramp up their Border-Gavaskar preparations.
The rather amusing scenes reinforced that the India team are rock-stars in cricket. No other team has this type of exalted status and generate such fervour. Australia’s star players can walk around their own streets and barely garner much attention. Whereas Virat Kohli, India’s long-time talisman, has basically been glued to the back page of the local Perth paper.
It can be easy to be cynical of India. Their governing body is filthy rich, yet they get the lion’s share of the monies from the sport’s governing body. India refuse to play bitter foe Pakistan due to a government’s ban, which causes chaos for scheduling major tournaments.
Right now, the upcoming Champions Trophy to be played in Pakistan is in limbo due to India’s refusal to travel there. The UAE will likely co-host, with India – and the knockout stages – to play all their games there.
There are also fears that the money-spinning Indian Premier League will expand in the type of lengths that will effectively wipe out international cricket.
But, despite all of that, it’s impossible to not get swept up in the travelling circus of Indian cricket and the genuine passion from their fans, who usually outnumber the home supporters at the ground.
Indian fans have strong presence when their team plays (Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images)
There was a question from a journalist directed to Australia bowler Josh Hazlewood during the first Test over whether it was strange that Indian fans dominate crowds in Australia. “We’re used to it,” Hazlewood simply said.
Australian journalists are also usually outnumbered in the press box as Indian media – from traditional newspapers to YouTube stars – descend in large numbers.
During the lockout of press for India’s training, some eager Indian journalists had arrived into town early and tried to catch a glimpse from the only vantage point – a carpark on a slope about 100m away.
Cars pulled over as Indian fans jumped at the opportunity at meeting and taking photos with reporters, who have much bigger profiles than their Australian counterparts.
It was another example at the standing of Indian cricket, which is by far the most popular sport in a country with more than a billion people.
Cricket is fortunate to have India as its heartbeat. There is a sensory overload and it can be a whirlwind, but following the India team is an unforgettable experience.
