Its cricket time again...!

Let the games begin......

After the terror strikes in mumbai and the related political shenanigans in the aftermath, its time for cricket again.....India plays England in Chennai in the first of two test matches. Originally scheduled for Mumbai, the first test was moved to Chennai after the terror attacks......wish the match was played in Mumbai itself - more as tribute to the city and its people than anything else - I'm sure Mumbaikars would have responded by flooding the stadium.....that said, I hope folks in Chennai land up at Chepauk - there have been rumors that test matches in India are no longer attractive to the crowds - while that is true on evidence of the small crowds in sight, I'm not so sure the answers are so straightforward though....for someone as crazy as me about cricket - theres no incentive to go and watch at the stadium.......

In the good old days a day watching cricket in the stadium meant a day of fun with friends - screaming, shouting, genly having a loud time, eating the junk food available out there, having furious debates on what will happen the next ball, the next over, the next session.....and then comparing notes and restarting the debates.......none of this possible now - Indian stadiums are concrete fortresses with a singular focus on making things uncomfortable for the spectators - in a one day match its ok - you're going to be there for about seven hours, the action on the field is usually frenetic enough to keep your mind away from the squalid conditions around...but in a test match, things are slow, you tend to look around, you tend to absorb the surroundings and its not a good sight......

BCCI - listen very very carefully - the Indian test match viewer is your long term hope - hes the one that will sustain interest in the game once the young ones go past the twenty20 fad in a couple of years.....know your golden goose and take care of it before its too late...I know you are busy right now wallowing in dollar notes, but note if you want this to last long - take good care of me and my brethen.......its us that will carry you on our shoulder when all else abandon you......Mr. Modi - you listening?.....I'd be more than glad to share my ideas on what can be done....let me know if you are interested....