When the clock struck 5PM at the Adelaide Oval, cricket fans, young and old, from nearby areas flocked into the entrance of the stadium to get a view of the proceedings there.
After all, some latest Bollywood chartbusters were blaring through the speakers with a set of performers shaking their leg on the stage. There were claps, whistles, a few smiles and a lot of joy in the eyes of cricket fans who had made their way to the stadium to catch a glimpse of their favorite cricket stars.
The Indian team was set to arrive in an hour’s time and the fans made the most of that time by painting their faces with the tricolour, shopping for some souvenirs and munching on some traditional Indian delicacies.
Adelaide, a venue that has been home for Team India for quite some time now, bore resemblance to India for an hour and a half. The crowd was kept hooked with traditional Indian dances that added colour to the cloudy Adelaide skies even as a set of performers went back to their traditional South Australian tribal dance giving a sneak peek into their cultural history.
A band of Dhols lit up the evening with vintage beats that would normally be a part of the Ganpati Visarjan festival back home in India. To add to it the band played a few bhangra beats to keep the crowd on the feet. Some of the kids danced to its tune without any inhibitions while the older lot shook a leg with a bit of shyness.
The loudest cheer was reserved for Team India’s arrival. The moment the 15-member squad, all decked up and looking crisp in their team kit, walked on to the podium to address the crowd, the cheers cleared their throats.
The “I-N-D-I-A, I-N-D-I-A” chants went on for a couple of minutes which brought a smile to the Indian captain’s face and he waved out to the crowd. He spared a few minutes to talk about the team’s undying fan following and expressed his gratitude to the faithful fans. He also spoke with fondness about the beautiful stadium that is all set to stage the big game between India and Pakistan on the 15th.
Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma got some of the loudest cheers from the crowd and they wore broad smiles to greet the crowd. The team might not have been present for a long time but they did leave lasting impressions on the minds of the people after having made an appearance in front of their fans with such close proximity. The crowd dispersed once the team left the stadium with nothing but memories of a special evening spent at the Adelaide Oval with their team.
By: BCCI
