T20 World Cup: India's Nets Session Resembled A Fireworks Display

Batters launched balls so high into the sky that they looked like rockets taking off from the centre square.

Fans Are Royalty At Chepauk

The Indian team's practice session resembled a fireworks display without Diwali.

Batters launched balls so high into the sky that they looked like rockets taking off from the centre square. Just as the customer is king, at the M A Chidambaram stadium the spectator is royalty.

Fans here are not merely ticket holders; they are treated with reverence. So deep is the concern for their well-being that one even finds a Spectator Medical Room.

This venue is steeped in history. Visiting the Madras Cricket Club, located inside the stadium, is like walking into the history of cricket in Chennai.

It was established in 1846 and, like the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai, it is prestigious to be a member.

They have not changed the name to Chennai Cricket Club and have retained the original name.

The dining rooms and bars have cricket terms such as Yorker, Bouncer, etc.

Dhoni, Dhoni everywhere

Sometimes Chennai gives the feeling of being Mahendra Singh Dhoni's birthplace.

The number of advertisements featuring Dhoni's photographs is huge.

A well-illuminated sports shop named after him is located very close to the stadium.

At the trailer launch of the movie M S Dhoni, The Untold Story he remarked that he was adopted by Chennai long ago and that this city is an inseparable part of his life.

Brook Breaks Hearts, Shoaib's Bouncer

Indian fans seemed happy that England beat Pakistan in their Super Eight match.

England Skipper Harry Brook, who cracked a century to defeat Pakistan, has suddenly become their hero.

A newspaper titled him 'Brooke Bond'; Brooke Bond Red Label is one of India's largest-selling teas.

Brook broke Pakistani hearts through a tricky and imperfect chase.

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has an uncanny ability to suddenly change his views about his team.

It is often as unexpected as his bouncer during his playing days. In fact, it is like his reverse-swing yorker.

When Pakistan Skipper Salman Ali Agha was appointed captain, Shoaib was the first to welcome the decision.

However, in a recent video interview, Shoaib has now questioned Agha's leadership skills.

Chennai knows the value of a drop of water the way a batter values a single in a tense chase

February 24 marked the late actress-turned-chief minister J Jayalalithaa's birth anniversary and a grand function was held at the New Woodland Hotel, where I am staying, which was attended by top politicians.

I was jolted awake by what I assumed was an enthusiastic rehearsal of Chennai's famous whistle ritual by cricket fans only to find that it was the police controlling the traffic to the hotel.

This is a city that has wrestled seriously with water scarcity.

Chennai knows the value of a drop of water the way a batter values a single in a tense chase.

In the press box and at almost every prominent corner of the stadium, posters urge everyone to save water, reminding us that every drop counts.

The sight brings to mind the National Award-winning Tamil film Thanneer Thanneer by Director K Balachander.

Thanneer means water in Tamil, and the film dealt powerfully with water scarcity and political corruption in a rural village.

If you are in Chennai and don't get to see posters of the late actor-turned-chief minister M G Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa, then the trip is not complete.

There was a time when huge cut-outs of these two leaders and of MGR's political mentor, the late chief minister C N Annadurai, could be seen in various parts of the city.

A domestic cricket tournament, the MGR Trophy, is now in its 31st edition, having begun on February 20.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff