Today, my parents, Roshni (my wife) and I watched the third day's play of the second test match between India and New Zealand. As expected it was a special experience. However, at the same time, it was pretty uncomfortable.

To start with, it was a pretty hot day. Not as hot as Hyderabad can get but still pretty hot to make sitting in the sun feel like a punishment. Uppal stadium has a very nice outfield and a large capacity. The Hyderabad Cricket Association has tried its best to give the city a world class stadium. However, the stadium lacks a basic thing.....roof!!! The cricket authorities in India owe it to fans like me and thousands of others, who brave the heat, hunger and thirst and come to watch cricket in stadiums. The authorities should try to make the experience a comfortable and enjoyable one. They depend on us and still behave as if they are doing us a great favor by letting us watch the match!!!

And I cannot figure out why they do not let people to carry food and water. I understand that items can be used as “missiles” but there can surely be a better alternative. Spectators were compelled to pay 120 rupees for chicken biryani, which technically was "hardly-any-chicken biryani". A 300 ml of coke costed 25 rupees. A glass of water was 15 rupees. I am not blaming the vendors as I am sure that they do not have a choice but to sell the food items in "black". I am sure that they would be paying a hefty sum to the authorities to let them put up a stall in the stadium. There is no harm in making money but do not keep the entire sum in the pocket. Put some back in the business of cricket. The authorities must provide proper facilities and amenities to the spectators.

Even the rule regarding not allowing cell phones is strange. If someone is coming to watch a day’s play of a test match, he/she will be spending at least 7 hrs in the stadium. As security checks take time, people come 1-2 hrs in advance. Being cut-off from the outside world from 8-9 hours must be a huge deterrent for several fans. And what is the use of this rule, anyways? My father was telling me that Israeli forces do not ban mobile phones as they do not consider the phones to be a threat. I know that bombs can be triggered through mobile phones but for that to happen, the bomb has to be present at the location!!! So check for bombs. So by not allowing cell phones, security men just send a message that they are not confident about the overall security arrangements. In any case, I noticed several girls/women carrying the cell phone. Females were not scanned. Moreover, there were no lady constables to check the ladies!!! That means that the cops have a hypothesis that only men can be terrorists!!!

Though there were some negatives and discomforts, it was a pretty enjoyable experience overall. Since it was a Sunday, it attracted a sizeable crowd. And like always, the crowd was extremely noisy!!! That can make any match pretty exciting. Then watching all the players from so close quarters was quite exciting as well. I would love to do it again.

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