The experience of witnessing Women's Cricket from the stands

I am sure the answer to some of these questions would be "Yes" for some of you. But what if I tell you all this was for Women's Cricket! Yes, this happened in the recently concluded India vs Australia 3 match ODI series held in Vadodara.

Since the day the fixtures were announced, there was this enormous excitement to be able to watch matches from the stadium.  The buildup by the Baroda Cricket Association was indeed praiseworthy and the response was good as a result of it.  There were hoardings all across Vadodara as the dates of the series came nearer. BCA had announced free passes for all the matches for its members and free entry to the general public. Being a fan, I was extremely excited.

In the 1st ODI, I was a bit surprised at the massive turnaround in the free stands of the ground. I can possibly assume there were 4 reasons for it:

1. Indian Team led by Mithali Raj and all the players had finally become household names through their run in the World Cup 2017 and hence, the crowd was there to support them.

2. An International Match was being held in Vadodara for the first time since December 2010 and hence, people were keen to watch the action.

3. India’s opponent was Australia and hence, the crowd would know that the series will be competitive.

4. Viewers didn't have to spend any money to witness the action from the stadium.

India won the toss amidst huge cheers from the people of Vadodara at the ground which came after a massive silence that had struck the ground at the sight of Harmanpreet Kaur coming out for the toss instead of Raj. India opted to bat first, handing an ODI debut to the young Jemimah Rodrigues in place of the ill skipper Mithali Raj.

Now, the crowd started with their expert comments. Some were of the view that they had come to watch Mithali and would rather go home now that she isn’t playing. Some were of the view that this was a flat track and India would have to post 250+ at least to stay in the match. While some were of the opinion that Mandhana and Harmanpreet would ensure India posts 300+. As wickets started falling, I remember someone in the crowd confidently telling others after watching a replay on the screen in the stadium that “This isn’t a flat pitch, this is an absolute turner! Just watch out for the little Poonam Yadav who’ll spin us to victory in this match.”

During the lunch break, BCA tried to form World’s biggest “Women Chain” to raise awareness for breast cancer under the Women Empowerment initiative. 2416 Women and school girls took part and walked hand-in-hand. This was a unique moment to witness for the people of Vadodara.

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Australia chased down the target easily to take a 1-0 lead in the series. But what stood out was the response and support that the crowd gave to Women's Cricket.

For the 2nd ODI, there was no women empowerment initiative, it was a Thursday and yet, the crowd was bigger than the 1st ODI. India lost again and with it, the series as well, but the support for the team was massive.

With the way things had panned out during the first 2 ODIs, I was sure that Sunday would be houseful despite the series having already been sealed by Australia. And Oh boy! Wasn't it a massive turnout by the Baroda crowd on Sunday!

The atmosphere was electrifying and there were shouts and cheers throughout the course of the match. Being a Sunday, all pass holders had turned up as well, meaning that most stands were fully packed. Australia posted a mammoth 332/7 and India tried hard but could score only 235 in the end.

The crowd never for once did abuse or gave Boos to the Aussies or for that matter, the Indians for being unable to win. Instead, there was just respect for all the players out there. Whenever a 4 or a 6 was hit by an Indian player, there were huge cheers and crowd stood up to applause. Whenever Healy played a swashbuckling shot, people would appreciate the sheer class of an innings that they were witnessing.

Coming to the players, Ellyse Perry got the biggest roars and cheers from the crowd. She would have felt completely at home, only that the Aussies don't shout the way the people of Vadodara did. In the end, she accepted all those cheers and support by acknowledging the crowd after the presentation ceremony. Smriti Mandhana, Veda Krishnamurthy and Mithali Raj were the players from the Indian team to get the biggest roars.

Despite a 3-0 loss, the crowd was all for our team. They shouted "Mithali! Mithali!" constantly during the presentation ceremony. What was also worth noticing was the fact that young boys and girls had come and they actually had adequate knowledge about players from both the teams. After the match, many people gathered near the team buses to get a glimpse of players of the 2 teams. It was this heartening gesture of support of the fans that would have pleased both India and Australia. This is the kind of support Women's Cricket needs on a regular basis.

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Despite the fact that the Boards exams were scheduled during the time of the series and the fact that 2 ODIs were played on weekdays, the amount of people that came to witness the matches was really good.

All in all, I was delighted to see the sheer presence of the crowd for the match. Vadodara had been deprived of International Action for long and they welcomed this with both hands. The way both the teams played, the warm-ups done and spirit in which the matches were played was stupendous. There was a competitive spirit right through.

The biggest positive in all this was the kind of support our Women’s team got. The crowd and people have finally started noticing them and supporting them to the fullest. With this kind of support and media coverage, I am sure the Women‘s team will scale new heights through their performance in the upcoming years.