Early end a relief to crowd

Dharamsala, December 10

The series-opener in Dharamsala did not give the desired result for the Indian team but the fans had every bit of fun under the sun. The 21,000 capacity stadium was almost full for the most part of the day. Even though Virat Kohli was missing from action, with wedding rumours flying thick and fast, there were fans holding placards saying ‘We miss you Virat’. 

The Indian wickets fell in a heap and that brought MS Dhoni to the crease. The crowd had reserved their loudest cheer for ‘Captain Cool’,  raising it as he came out to bat.

Dhoni did not disappoint his fans, providing full entertainment with 10 fours and two sixes. As long as he was at the crease, shouts of ‘Dhoni, Dhoni’ kept reverberating in the stadium.

After it was clear that India were going to lose the match, there was one relief for the crowd — that the game would end early. The fans had travelled from as far as Jammu, Pathankot, Chamba and Mandi, and because the match ended around 5:30pm, they were able to leave for home early in the winter chill. — Gaurav Kanthwal