Chennai (Tamil Nadu) India takes on Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, popularly known as 'Chepauk' here on Sunday as the Men in Blue start their World Cup 2023 campaign.
- The Black and Brown Pitch
The 'Chepauk' pitch is truly Deccan in colour and character. A mix of brown and black mud, the one on which action is set to happen tomorrow, has been under the covers for two days now. The reason? It is just too hot for the pitch to handle. Curators fear that the dry heat of 29-30 degrees all through the day may crack up the 22 yards and that would be a disaster.
They are light rolling it for now and had lifted the covers for the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid to have a look on Friday evening when the team was here to train full squad. Generally, the curators here like to keep it open and shape up with the weather conditions, but not this time round.
The grass has been trimmed and the hard brown-black top looks all set for runs rush in the first half. As Aussie skipper Pat Cummins said, "It will turn towards the later part of the evening." So, a 270-280 score would then be competitive here. And, of course, this is magic to the ears of the Indian spinners. If one goes into history, former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble has been the highest wicket-taker here with 48 wickets and closely following him has been former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh with his 42.
- First full house in the wings
The 2023 World Cup will finally see a house full, bursting at its seams, at Chepauk on October 8 when India plays its first match of the tournament against the Australians. The inaugural match, between the defending champions England and runners-up New Zealand from the previous edition, saw an empty expanse at the mammoth – otherwise known as the Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera with all its 1,32,000 seats.
The chirp around empty spaces began the moment the match went live. So much so that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had to hold a presser to explain that there were 46,000 people attending but the stadium was so big that it did not show. No such issues for Chennai where there everything is sold out.
Long queues of fans trying their luck for tickets still can be seen at all the gates of the stadium. But tomorrow, it will be a burst of passion, sound and excitement when the cricket fans, who are veterans of many games here, including the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings, egg their team to win. The thing about the Chennai spectators is that they are passionate about the game and do not draw boundaries in applauding even visiting teams for their good game. Their knowledge of cricket is as embroiled in intense discussions as is their politics. So tomorrow, all the 50,000 will get together for a blast through which will come the challenge of the umpires listening in on a brush with the bat or pad and an appeal one too many.
Rich History
The MA Chidambaram stadium has history, rich history. Established in 1916 and second in age only to Eden Gardens of Kolkata, it has seen many suns and runs in many formats. It has evolved over the years from being a haven for quicks to falling for spin, but the enchanting green circle has remained the same as has the folklore of many campaigns. The all-yellow stands are in ovation to the Chennai Super Kings whose skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni the fans have adopted as their own. This year, the stands have got an extension to honour the occasion of the World Cup but otherwise, the boundaries are small and eminently ready to receive the sixes and the fours.
