The little mobile shop of cricket 365, the betting agency, was a beehive of activity on Saturday morning. Fans streamed in even two hours before the scheduled start of the game at 11 am. Many stopped to read the white board which listed the odds. The most obvious one was listed at the top. Sachin Tendulkar’s century fetched odds of 4:1. Rahul Dravid, who like Tendulkar was without a hundred at Lord’s, was listed at 6:1.
As both men came together to bat the margins went down with Tendulkar going at 6:4 and Dravid at 6:5. Still the shop kept attracting many fans. According to a cricket 365 official about 200 Indian fans placed bets on maiden centuries at the home of cricket by the duo. “I can say there was a substantial amount of money that was bet,” the official said, without revealing figures.
Saturday at Lord’s was marked in diaries months in advance by die-hard fans. It was a big day; both in the context of the match as well as for thousands of Indian fans, some of whom had traversed continents to witness a possible historic moment – Tendulkar’s hundredth century. Some did not mind paying huge money – equivalent to a sum that could buy you a return air ticket to India – just to witness a day’s play. Some were first-timers, excited to be part of the occasion.
Despite the first four days being sold out in advance, the MCC’s ticketing office got a lot of queries but could only sell about 200 tickets which had been returned. 75% of those went to Indian fans who shelled out anywhere between £30 and £85 per ticket.
Just as the large pints that overflowed across this historic venue, the Indian fans’ emotions, too, ebbed and flowed as they anticipated something special from the trinity of Tendulkar, Dravid and VVS Laxman. This is probably the final time all three would play at Lord’s and the fans wanted to pay back with their support for their service to the game.
Last year Suresh Shankar, a 47-year-old entrepreneur, sold his business to IBM. Immediately one of the decisions he made was to travel on important India cricket tours. He watched most of India’s big matches in the World Cup earlier this year including the tied match in Bangalore against England and the final in Mumbai.
This time he was in England only to watch the Lord’s Test. “It is the most significant moment in India’s cricket history,” he said, talking about the trinity’s last outing at the ground. “It is the passing of values, sportsmanship and their ability,” he said when I asked what prompted him to make the trip.
At 12:28 hrs when Tendulkar walked out to a standing ovation, Shankar couldn’t stop himself from messaging his wife of Chinese descent. “When 25,000 people stood up to cheer one man, it was a goosebump moment. I had to tell her that,” he said. Tendulkar, for Shankar just like millions of others, is the greatest sportsman across all sport. It is a small matter then, that this well-travelled businessman does not mind spending big money to watch him in person.
Vikas Manoor, a 29-year-old software engineer, travelled to watch the Tendulkar-Dravid combine and bought a ticket only for Saturday. He reached from Edinburgh on Friday night and paid a whopping £250 for a ticket in the Mound Stand where the original price was £80. “Actually I did not mind that. I even paid £120 for my travel, but I wanted to always see Dravid and Sachin bat together,” Manoor said. “I have always been attracted to brand Sachin. For 22 years he has done things consistently. I could not stop myself from coming,”
Sumira Chaudhri, a Canadian Indian lawyer, extremely excited that she had been called to the bar back in Toronto, was travelling through Europe. She got hooked on Indian cricket after following the Indian team’s triumph at the World Cup. “When I heard that India were playing in England I decided to come over from my trip to Europe,” she said.
She felt sad like many that Tendulkar failed to notch that elusive hundred at Lord’s. “I was hoping Sachin would get it. But then I am happy Dravid got it. He is the best Test player,” she said with excitement.
Gnanamurthy Kugan, a heart surgeon, was animatedly listening to his 12-year-old son Kavin, who was reminiscing his observations from the training session he witnessed when Sri Lanka were at Lord’s earlier this summer. A regular visitor to Lord’s, Kugan has been in England for 25 years. “I am disappointed about Sachin not getting it. But it is good that Dravid has,” he said while Kavin listened intently.
Rajesh Marwah has been coming to Lord’s since 1986. Originally from the north Indian town of Ludhiana in Punjab, Marwah now lives in the Hounslow suburb of London and is into the business of household removals. “Brown man with a van,” Marwah, head covered in a plain, sky-blue Lord’s bandana and wearing an India ODI T-shirt, said when I asked him what he did for a living.
By the time I met Marwah again, after tea, Tendulkar had already departed. But Marwah was not disappointed. “If Tendulkar starts slow, he would never get to his landmark and I knew that. I could sense his pressure, which was more about India responding well to England’s big total,” he said with an assured tone. “I am not worried. I know he will make the century in Edgbaston.”
An hour after the day’s play, about 50 Indian fans gathered at the Nursery End of the ground. As Dravid made his way to the media conference with a smiling face, they rushed to get an autograph. One person caught the eye: a middle-aged woman, clad in a saree. She was at the back of the charging fans’ brigade and halfway through her stride, she gave up. But she had a smile on her face at having caught a glimpse of Dravid in person.
For the fan, it is an emotional journey full of anticipation, patience, pitfalls and hardships. It is also a journey of desire, passion and dreams. And on days like these some dreams get fulfilled and some do not.