Hello Steemit Friends,
Today I will be sharing with you some of the photographs taken by me during Ind vs Eng 1st ODI cricket match at Pune MCA stadium on Jan 15, 2017.
I am a big fan of cricket and I never miss any chance to watch it live at the stadium.So it was ongoing England tour of India 2016-2017 1st ODI match of 5 match ODI series. Prior to this match there was Test series going on between them where India won the series by 4-0.
As you know while watching match experience is directly proportional to cost of the ticket. When it comes to cricket I didn't mind spending around $80 to get a sent near to the boundaries as i wanted to have a closer view at the player.Since the match was scheduled at 14:00 IST,we started off from Hinjewadi(Pune) at 11:00 IST and reached MCA stadium by 11:40. So when we reached the stadium we found the crowd buying flags, decorating their body with tri-color . Everyone was so desperate to get in the stadium. There were separate queues for separate stadium entries. Police officials were present in a huge number and police vans stood in guard in case of any untoward incident. Metal detectors were in place for tighter security.Finally we chekced in and entered the stadium.
When we were comfortably seated in our boundary line seats under the scorching sun, we saw the players enter the field. The whole stadium cheered and hooted. The uproar was very loud. The Indian team was loudly cheered and the names of the players were being chanted throughout the stadium.You could find "Dhoni..Dhoni..Dhoni" and "Virat..Virat..Virat".It was a huge moment for all the fans. The stadium came alive from the time the players entered and started practicing.
Here are some of the photos during their practice session:-
Now it was the time for toss, where the 2 captains Virat Kohli and Eoin Morgan came to field for the toss.The coin was thrown into the air by our Indian captain and the call was from Eoin. So it was India who won the toss and elected to bowl.It was then followed by National Anthem of both the team.So Jason Roy and Alex Hales opened for England and set a target of 351 for India.
It was one of the best match I ever watched in my entire life.A successful 350-run chase was amusing; nailing it from 63/4 nearly unbelievable. We almost gave up by then. Then there was one hell of a partnership between Virat and Kedar. Virat Kohli era announces itself with a stunning win. India's captain inspired a batting companion in Kedar Jadhav, found a finisher in Hardik Pandya and rediscovered a team that aligns with his never-say-die attitude. A heck of an ODI game it was where Ashwin hit a winning six taking the lead to 1-0 .
Do you love watching cricket?
Do you prefer watching in stadium?