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Follow UsIt takes just one day - the tagline of the ‘23 World Cup didn’t really sit well with me. As a Team India fan and a fairly recluse one at that, I wasn’t sure if that’s how I would put it. It takes an entire day! would probably be more apt.
Having gotten an opportunity to cover this World Cup on ground, it did not seem like the worst idea to try and paint a picture of these experiences.
Armed with a backpack, trolley, and a couple of in-flight readings - we landed in Ahmedabad on the day of the supposed World Cup opening ceremony.
With not the expected buzz around the event, we encountered a host of disappointed fans near the Narendra Modi stadium on the eve of the opener. Some also arrived at the venue to collect their physical tickets. The disappointment soon evaporated into excitement as the camera turned on.
We came across quite a few characters near the stadium; an Indian fan who was happy to be smothered in body paint, not one bit bothered by Ahmedabad’s sweltering heat, an Aussie fan chilling in Ahmedabad to see two of their most bitter rivals - England and New Zealand fight it out.
“Looking forward to getting some tan on my skin, man” is what the Aussie fan said when asked about his plans till Australia’s first game. He was, of course, enamored by the sights, smells, and sounds of India - the holy trinity for anyone on their first tour to the country.
The idea of traveling to various cities was to try and capture the emotions, perspectives, and reactions of the fans about - to quote Ramachandra Guha - "the most subtle and sophisticated game known to humankind".
One encouraging facet of Indians was the ease with which they supported other teams with just as much passion. This was on display at the end of the England - New Zealand fixture when we got to talk to Sundar, a lad from Chennai, about what made him travel nearly 2000 kms for a game not involving India.
Do check our FanCam out to know what he had to say about his love for the Kiwis.
Apart from cricket, we also went a bit around Ahmedabad to get a vibe of the city and - before I forget - try the food.
Coming to food, Manek Chowk was one of the first names on everyone’s list of places to eat in Ahmedabad. And sure enough, it did not disappoint us one bit.
Lovers of butter and cheese (and cholesterol :P) were treated to a sumptuous experience with the famous Ghughra sandwich. At the risk of oversimplifying it, it is a block of cheese between two slices of bread and loads of butter slathered on top of it. Veggies and sauces make a brief cameo, but nothing noteworthy to write home about.
To know more on what Indian fans can expect in Ahmedabad, do check out the first episode of Cricket.com On Tour
What makes Manek Chowk stand out from other such Indian food streets is their timings. They’re usually open till about 3 AM, making it the perfect option for the late night cravings. Being there right after we finished shooting our FanCams near Motera made for some entertaining viewing, for we ended up seeing quite a few fans who ran past our questions to potentially reach the place earlier.
Also, the Sabarmati Ashram is another fascinating piece of history to experience. From his childhood to his days outside to his fight for Indian independence, we get to see what made Mahatma Gandhi the man he was and what the ashram was all about.
Just like that, we were all set to check out from a warm Ahmedabad and head to a warmer Chennai to witness the all-important clash between India and Australia.
And boy was Chennai hot! The day began at 38 degrees and ended at a mildly cooler 32 degrees, briefly breaching the 40-degree mark as well. But we weren’t too bothered by it.
Mentally, this had always been the first game of our schedule. Come on, you can’t berate us for thinking that way. India vs Australia in a World Cup, rarely gets better than this, right?
Our excitement coupled with an annoying proximity (3.2 kms) to Chepauk helped me convince the rest of the lads to walk it out on our way to the FanCam. At 12:30 PM. I got to hear the choicest of expletives by the time we reached our work site. Thankfully, India’s solid performance and some extremely enthusiastic fans helped them get over it.
That the release of tickets for all World Cup fixtures was diabolical is no secret. Them arriving in such huge numbers despite all these hassles showed exactly why cricket is a religion in this part of the world.
Just all things India, our cricket fans too were of various kinds. On the one hand, were those who came to the venue all dressed up, hoping to secure tickets for the game. On the other hand were those who had tickets but refused to go in the first innings because of the oppressive heat. They felt that just going for the second innings would also let them see the Indian batters.
Getting to witness a spectrum so wide in the span of an hour sent us into a dizzy.
Wait, it probably had more to do with the heat.
Since we already knew that we were going to be here on a few more occasions, we decided to space our outdoor shooting out to help us catch a breath.
But there was only one facet that we weren’t going to compromise on. A certain four-letter word that starts with an ‘F’ and satisfies you like nothing imaginable. FOOD!
While the lads decided to go and have some authentic South Indian fare, as the only South Indian member of the crew (sorry, Avanish), I was having none of it. So I decided to do the next best thing possible.
Attack their biryanis.
As tasty as it was, it once again took me down a rabbit hole about how a dish that made its way into the Indian subcontinent by way of an invasion went on to practically become the only dish eaten with just as much celebration throughout India.
Well, it seemed like my last dinner in Chennai was foreshadowing something beyond just that. Our next stop was to the land of biryanis, Hyderabad.
As much as I’d love to talk about the biryani and the double ka meetha at Paradise, let’s save some of that chat for next time.
Till then, hum hain raahi pyaar ke phir milenge chalte chalte.
