When Indian Team Did Not Reach Stadium in Time for World Cup Encounter

Former India skipper Anjum Chopra revealed an incident how the team nearly had to forfeit 1997 World Cup match against Sri Lanka. The southpaw went on to say that the team did not make it to the stadium in time since the driver did not know the route from the hotel to the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

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“During the 1997 World Cup, we were staying at DLTA – Delhi Lawn Tennis Association. We were the poor cousins of million-dollar babies so we were accommodated wherever there was no rent or any other cheap option. We were to play a match against Sri Lanka, our first match [of the tournament] at Feroz Shah Kotla,” Chopra said on the YouTube show ‘22 Yarns’ with Gaurav Kapur.

“So, we got on the bus and left for the stadium [in the morning], and we knew the play won’t start on time because it was raining. After about 10-12 minutes – I was sitting at the back – someone from the front called for the Delhi residents. And when I got to the front, I was told that the driver doesn’t know the route to Feroz Shah Kotla! I knew the way, but only from my place.

“I thought I was the only most knowledgeable person because everybody else, apart from Anju Jain and I, were not from Delhi. So, I was helping the driver with the route, who was using his own ‘internal GPS’ as well. After about half an hour, we came back to Sarojini Nagar [just one-kilometre from DLTA]. We were circling around Sarojini Nagar and South Extension and after half an hour again we were back in the same place.”

The team was far from reaching the stadium at the time of toss, and the match could have been awarded to the Lankan team, if not for rain.

“Now the toss was scheduled for 8.30am, so the captain should at least reach the stadium. And by 8.35, we were only moving in circles. Everyone else had reached the stadium and you can actually be declared as giving a walkover, [even if it’s raining] your team management and captain need to be there on the ground,” Chopra said.

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“So apparently, the captain and the vice-captain got off halfway through and took a taxi. And as it turned out, even the taxi driver didn’t know the way to Feroz Shah Kotla. I don’t know how we managed to reach the stadium but when we did, my parents, who had come to watch the game even though it was raining, were standing outside with a big smile on their face. And then the first thing we were told was, ‘Please go straight to the dressing rooms and don’t tell anyone that you have just reached’. We reached there at 9.05am.”