LUCKNOW: A wave of disappointment is sweeping through the world of willow fans with UP Cricket Association (UPCA) confirming on Thursday that the second ODI between India and South Africa, scheduled at Ekana stadium this Sunday, would be held behind closed doors amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In other words, without audience at the stands.
The decision has stumped Sauveer Raman, a diehard cricket buff, who bought four tickets to watch the match with his friends. “I waited eagerly for two months to see Rohit Sharma bat and now, I have been clean bowled by Covid-19 (the disease caused by the virus),” said the 22-year-old who works in Jaipur, was in Lucknow to celebrate Holi and extended his leave only for the match.
Like Sauveer, thousands of fans are heartbroken. While some had booked tickets online, most others had braved long queues at stadium counters to get theirs. More than 32,000 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon against the stadium capacity of 50,000. Besides Lucknow, fans from Kanpur and Sitapur too have bought tickets for the big day. They cursed coronavirus in unison for shattering their long-cherished dream of cheering live for the Men in Blue. “We have been assured that the tickets will be refunded, but who cares about money. We are willing to pay extra if we are allowed to watch the ODI from the stands,” said Himanshu Gupta, a postgraduate student and among the first to buy tickets. Gaurav Khanna, a resident of Vibhuti Khand, couldn’t stop wondering how he would explain the situation to his kids, aged eight and 12. “They were so excited. They bought new autograph books and blue tees. I am scared to disappoint them,” the father said.
Indiranagar Sector-10 resident Rahul Dhawan had a suggestion for UPCA under these unprecedented circumstances. “The authorities should allow fans entry after thermal scanning. Not only us, Team India will be disappointed too in the absence of a cheering home crowd,” he reasoned. Virat Kohli fan Jatin Srivastava had purchased a VIP ticket. “I wanted to see Virat bat up close. When will I ever get an opportunity to watch him in an ODI live? This is so frustrating!” said the Jankipuram Sector-H resident.
Lucknow: A wave of disappointment is sweeping through the world of willow fans with UP Cricket Association (UPCA) confirming on Thursday that the second ODI between India and South Africa, scheduled at Ekana stadium this Sunday, would be held behind closed doors amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In other words, without audience at the stands.
The decision has stumped Sauveer Raman, a diehard cricket buff, who bought four tickets to watch the match with his friends. “I waited eagerly for two months to see Rohit Sharma bat and now, I have been clean bowled by Covid-19 (the disease caused by the virus),” said the 22-year-old who works in Jaipur, was in Lucknow to celebrate Holi and extended his leave only for the match.
Like Sauveer, thousands of fans are heartbroken. While some had booked tickets online, most others had braved long queues at stadium counters to get theirs. More than 32,000 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon against the stadium capacity of 50,000. Besides Lucknow, fans from Kanpur and Sitapur too have bought tickets for the big day. They cursed coronavirus in unison for shattering their long-cherished dream of cheering live for the Men in Blue. “We have been assured that the tickets will be refunded, but who cares about money. We are willing to pay extra if we are allowed to watch the ODI from the stands,” said Himanshu Gupta, a postgraduate student and among the first to buy tickets. Gaurav Khanna, a resident of Vibhuti Khand, couldn’t stop wondering how he would explain the situation to his kids, aged eight and 12. “They were so excited. They bought new autograph books and blue tees. I am scared to disappoint them,” the father said.
Indiranagar Sector-10 resident Rahul Dhawan had a suggestion for UPCA under these unprecedented circumstances. “The authorities should allow fans entry after thermal scanning. Not only us, Team India will be disappointed too in the absence of a cheering home crowd,” he reasoned. Virat Kohli fan Jatin Srivastava had purchased a VIP ticket. “I wanted to see Virat bat up close. When will I ever get an opportunity to watch him in an ODI live? This is so frustrating!” said the Jankipuram Sector-H resident. Ayush Verma of Aliganj had booked four tickets online. “It was meant to be a perfect family outing on a Sunday. We will now have to watch the match on TV. The virus has ruined our dreams,” he said.
The decision has stumped Sauveer Raman, a diehard cricket buff, who bought four tickets to watch the match with his friends. “I waited eagerly for two months to see Rohit Sharma bat and now, I have been clean bowled by Covid-19 (the disease caused by the virus),” said the 22-year-old who works in Jaipur, was in Lucknow to celebrate Holi and extended his leave only for the match.
Like Sauveer, thousands of fans are heartbroken. While some had booked tickets online, most others had braved long queues at stadium counters to get theirs. More than 32,000 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon against the stadium capacity of 50,000. Besides Lucknow, fans from Kanpur and Sitapur too have bought tickets for the big day. They cursed coronavirus in unison for shattering their long-cherished dream of cheering live for the Men in Blue. “We have been assured that the tickets will be refunded, but who cares about money. We are willing to pay extra if we are allowed to watch the ODI from the stands,” said Himanshu Gupta, a postgraduate student and among the first to buy tickets. Gaurav Khanna, a resident of Vibhuti Khand, couldn’t stop wondering how he would explain the situation to his kids, aged eight and 12. “They were so excited. They bought new autograph books and blue tees. I am scared to disappoint them,” the father said.
Indiranagar Sector-10 resident Rahul Dhawan had a suggestion for UPCA under these unprecedented circumstances. “The authorities should allow fans entry after thermal scanning. Not only us, Team India will be disappointed too in the absence of a cheering home crowd,” he reasoned. Virat Kohli fan Jatin Srivastava had purchased a VIP ticket. “I wanted to see Virat bat up close. When will I ever get an opportunity to watch him in an ODI live? This is so frustrating!” said the Jankipuram Sector-H resident.
Lucknow: A wave of disappointment is sweeping through the world of willow fans with UP Cricket Association (UPCA) confirming on Thursday that the second ODI between India and South Africa, scheduled at Ekana stadium this Sunday, would be held behind closed doors amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. In other words, without audience at the stands.
The decision has stumped Sauveer Raman, a diehard cricket buff, who bought four tickets to watch the match with his friends. “I waited eagerly for two months to see Rohit Sharma bat and now, I have been clean bowled by Covid-19 (the disease caused by the virus),” said the 22-year-old who works in Jaipur, was in Lucknow to celebrate Holi and extended his leave only for the match.
Like Sauveer, thousands of fans are heartbroken. While some had booked tickets online, most others had braved long queues at stadium counters to get theirs. More than 32,000 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon against the stadium capacity of 50,000. Besides Lucknow, fans from Kanpur and Sitapur too have bought tickets for the big day. They cursed coronavirus in unison for shattering their long-cherished dream of cheering live for the Men in Blue. “We have been assured that the tickets will be refunded, but who cares about money. We are willing to pay extra if we are allowed to watch the ODI from the stands,” said Himanshu Gupta, a postgraduate student and among the first to buy tickets. Gaurav Khanna, a resident of Vibhuti Khand, couldn’t stop wondering how he would explain the situation to his kids, aged eight and 12. “They were so excited. They bought new autograph books and blue tees. I am scared to disappoint them,” the father said.
Indiranagar Sector-10 resident Rahul Dhawan had a suggestion for UPCA under these unprecedented circumstances. “The authorities should allow fans entry after thermal scanning. Not only us, Team India will be disappointed too in the absence of a cheering home crowd,” he reasoned. Virat Kohli fan Jatin Srivastava had purchased a VIP ticket. “I wanted to see Virat bat up close. When will I ever get an opportunity to watch him in an ODI live? This is so frustrating!” said the Jankipuram Sector-H resident. Ayush Verma of Aliganj had booked four tickets online. “It was meant to be a perfect family outing on a Sunday. We will now have to watch the match on TV. The virus has ruined our dreams,” he said.
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