On Friday, when India and Australia faced off in the first T20 International of a five-match series, more than 25,000 people gathered at the DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Mumbai to get behind the home team. It was a record turnout for the stadium, and a landmark day for women’s cricket, especially in India.
Experienced all-rounder Ellyse Perry admitted in a video interview to cricket.com.au that the noise on Friday night was deafening; so much so that the players woke up with their heads aching on the following day.
“It was awesome, albeit against us but it was an amazing atmosphere. It’s cool to play against a crowd like that and it’s wonderful to see the progressions of women’s cricket in India”, she said.
She also reserved rich praise for the facilities, especially the abundance of net bowlers during practice. “It was nice to have a few days of prep here. There’s always a 1000 net bowlers which are pretty good for those who like to hit many balls”, she added.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur too put out a tweet in appreciation of the crowd. She acknowledged that the crowd’s energy gave the players an adrenaline rush on Friday.
The stadium was buzzing with energy on the night of December 9 but what’s interesting is that there was a complete lack of buzz regarding the game in its lead-up. People were left waiting for an official word regarding the entry of fans. In today’s day and age, social media is by far the most powerful tool for communicating information to the masses. However, the resource was heavily underutilized by the officials as nothing regarding the match was put up on the various platforms. Yes, a tweet was sent out a few hours before the game but it was actually ‘a few hours too late’.
What’s interesting is that there was a record attendance without any sort of hype. Imagine what would have happened if the board, media, and other stakeholders had put in efforts to generate interest in the game. The second T20I is also due to be held at the same venue on Sunday, and if Friday’s turnout was anything to go by, it’s only going to get better. Sunday night, two world-class teams, free entry-these are good reasons to pull the crowds in. Add to it the impact promotions will have. Hopefully, this is just the start of a brilliant phase in Indian Women’s Cricket.
The entry will be FREE for all the fans. Here’s what you need to do to secure your passes for the 1st and 2nd T20I to be played at DY Patil Stadium.
– Reach DY Patil University gate to collect your passes
– need physical/digital aadhar proof.
– one person can collect 4 tickets max.
– many people in line so get yours ASAP.
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