DDCA scrambles for food and security as fans pour in to watch Virat Kohli play Ranji Trophy after 12 years

ND Prashant
30 Jan 2025
14:21

Ranji Trophy matches in India usually attract a few dozen spectators besides the family members of the players from the two sides. Though some matches in each round are televised or live-streamed, people watching the match at the stadium normally do not exceed a hundred or so despite free entry.

On Thursday, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, previously known as the Ferozshah Kotla ground, witnessed heavy footfall because of former India captain Virat Kohli playing for his home state Delhi after a gap of a dozen years.

'King' Virat Kohli
'King' Virat Kohli

The rush was such that the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), which manages the cricket stadium in the Indian capital, was forced to throw open more gates in the afternoon catering to the tremendous interest the occasion has generated.

Considering the interest, the DDCA had initially planned to allow around 10,000 spectators via two gates, on the basis of an official identification document. But fans had started lining up since 3 am and a large number of people still waiting to get in when the match had started, even though by that time it was clear that Delhi had opted to field first and there was no chance of watching Kohli batting.

With fans upward of 15000 descending onto the stadium from various parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), the DDCA had to hastily decide to allow every one of them into the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

DDCA official told media
Once the VIP movement, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the nearby Rajghat, was cleared, we opened more gates and allowed more people into the stadium.

The DDCA administrators also had to scramble to make food arrangements for the fans inside the stadium to avoid chaos. The fans were first made to sit in the Bishan Singh Bedi and Gautam Gambhir stands before DDCA decided to allow them into the adjacent stands.

Besides, the DDCA officials also had to request more security personnel to manage this huge crowd. There were concerns about a security breach when an eager fan ran in from North Stand to touch Kohli’s feet during the 12th over and was taken away by the security personnel.

DDCA official added
We generally have 25-30 people for security in a Ranji Trophy game at Delhi. But with Virat playing, we first arranged for 50 and then 100 security personnel in the stadium
Crowd pour in to watch Virat Kohli
Crowd pour in to watch Virat Kohli

The DDCA was also forced to seek help from the Delhi Police, who got into the act after they got free from managing VIP movement.
Meanwhile, inside the stadium, fans continued to chant Kohli's name and his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru throughout the day, marking a memorable occasion for them and a party-like atmosphere at the Stadium.

Virat Kohli is playing a Ranji Trophy match after a gap of 12 years, forced by the latest diktat by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which had made it mandatory for senior India players to play domestic cricket.

The 36-year-old Kohli considered one of the modern great batters in the game having amassed 9230 runs in Tests, 13906 in ODIs, and 4188 in T20Is, has faced heavy criticism after he failed to perform up to this usual standard in the recently-concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia and the preceeding 0-3 home whitewash against New Zealand.

With Kohli repeatedly getting out edging behind, many experts have advised him to turn to domestic cricket to tackle the issues with his batting ahead of India's next Test tour of England in June-July.

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