January 28, 2002

Memorable moments in Madras

- Jonathan Dyson

Watching sport, more than anything else, is about escapism. It as an activity that allows you to forget about the normal stresses and strains of daily life, and become lost in a world of passion and emotion, where the only concerns, however real they may feel at times, are ultimately of a trivial nature.

To enhance this feeling of release from the drudgery of normal life, the ideal stadium allows the spectators to feel as if they are in a different world, far removed from reality. None does this better than the M A Chidambaram stadium in Madras.

For the one-day international played last Friday, a small group of us were again lucky enough to receive complimentary tickets from a member of the England party, and when we entered the ground we all seemed to think the same thing -- the ground appears so much smaller than on the television!

And as I started to look at the stadium closely, I realised that the stands really aren't particularly big. It was certainly a contrast from Eden Gardens, which is of course one of the largest grounds in the world. However, what the MAC stadium lacks in size, it makes up for in the clever way it is designed, with a beautifully organised structure allowing 55,000 people to fit in.

The key is that there are no gaps between each section of the ground, and the stands themselves are designed to fit in as many people as possible. We had seats in the Esssar stand, positioned behind extra cover. Just to the right are the single-tier, all-squatting A and B stands, which allow room for several thousand fans to cram together. Just next to these are the benches in the Royal Sundaram stands, which also provide room for throngs of supporters to squeeze in.

Meanwhile, the sections on the opposite side of the ground are full of chairs fitted close together. Add to this the fact that the pavilion takes up as little space as possible, with the roof slotted in just below the West terrace, and the whole ground, right the way round, has room for a remarkable number of fans given the size of the stadium.

The ground is in fact at odds with the easy-going, open feel of Madras as a whole, which features the expansive Marina Beach, relatively quiet roads and a comically liberal use of billboard advertisements. Being in the stadium certainly makes you forget all about the world outside.

And with Friday's game being a complete sell-out, the atmosphere was predictably intense. The noise generated immediately around us, and in particular in the areas to our right, was incredible. This increased to fever pitch during the electrifying opening stand between Tendulkar and Sehwag, when even the aisles in our stand were crammed full of thrilled supporters

And such is the compact nature of the ground that, despite having an attendance around 40,000 less than Eden Gardens, the atmosphere at the Chepauk was actually more intense than at Calcutta, where the open, spacious nature of the stands leads to a slightly less fierce ambience during a match.

The crowd at Madras also seemed even more sporting and knowledgeable than the Bengalis, even applauding England's 50, 100 and so on. I was seated for a while next to a security guard, who showed a deep and enthusiastic passion for the game, and if anything seemed more concerned about why England hadn't selected Alan Mullaly than any potential crowd trouble.

In the short time I have so far enjoyed in Madras, I have realised that the organisation of the Chepauk is reflected in Madras local cricket, which is superbly run and fiercely contested.

I have been assisted in my research here by Chandrasekhar Mahadevan of Gandhi Nagar Sports Club in the Adayar area. Having e-mailed me through this column, he has very kindly allowed me to stay for a while with his family, and show me some of the local grounds and academies, which I will focus on later this week, in this cricket-mad city. He was very keen to meet a Yorkshireman, as he has fond memories of playing a few years ago in the Yorkshire League for Barnsley, home of Geoffrey Boycott and Darren Gough.

I arrived on Thursday, and in the evening was taken by Mahadevan to his club, where the animated discussions dotted around the bar, about the local leagues, the Indian Test team, and the current one-day series immediately gave me a feel for the great passion for cricket here.

On Sunday we drove along the streets next to Marina Beach, where hundreds of games take place every morning between 7 and 9 am. And nearby, we found the MRC ground, which plays host to several games of tennis ball cricket.

I was astonished to find that even this form of the game is organised into regular matches. The games are played over 15 overs per side, and see both teams play with an extraordinary will to win, and an excellent standard of fielding.

Meanwhile on Saturday, I watched Mahadevan play in a Singaram Trophy match. This tournament is mainly for players who have retired from league cricket, and is generally played in a laid back and relaxed atmosphere with the game clearly for fun. However, with some huge sixes and quick bowling on show, I began to see clues as to how fierce Madras club cricket really is. If these players have finished playing league cricket, I thought, what must the real thing be like?!

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Illustration: Bijoy Venugopal