When someone said nothing unites the Indians as cricket does, they were absolutely right. It is just more than sport to us. Cricket has made us happy, broke our hearts, made us bite our nails and sit on the edge of our seats. A cricket match is always an emotional roller coaster ride. In a group of people, there are always some things the cricket fans can automatically relate to without having to explain.
Here is a list of things we Vizag cricket fans can relate to the most.
Sunday struggles @ AU Grounds
If you have grown up playing cricket in Vizag, then you definitely know the struggle of finding a pitch for yourself in the AU Grounds on a Sunday. We are sure you got confused between your teammates and others several times. Though it gets irritating, the hoards of enthusiasts playing cricket on a Sunday morning show the love for the sport we Vizagites have.
Colony grounds turning into parks
The grounds we played cricket in our childhood are no more the same. They have mostly turned into children’s parks or joggers’ parks for the residents of the locality. We have often heard complaints from the surrounding residents about us hitting sixes into their houses or making too much noise. Do you miss the cricket grounds which made your entire childhood memorable?
Have to wait 2 years for international/IPL matches
Despite having an International Stadium in our city, we don’t get to see a lot of cricket matches. Reason? No one knows. We hope at least the BCCI does. The fact that the ACA-VDCA Dr YSR International Cricket Stadium hosted only 14 IPL matches since the league’s inception, while a city like Mumbai is hosting close to 50 matches this season frustrates the Vizagites a lot.
Weekend means box cricket
From pooling money to buy a Stumper to renting a place to play cricket, we grew up. Thanks to the person who came up with the idea of box cricket, we have a dedicated place for playing cricket, though it comes at a cost. The city has seen the rise of a number of box cricket arenas in the last couple of years, owing to the huge demand. Maybe this is what “catching the public pulse” means.
Tried beach cricket?
If there is one thing the Vizagites love more than cricket, it’s the beach. What if we can enjoy the beach view while playing our beloved sports? If that isn’t a perfect weekend plan, we don’t know what else is. Gather your playing XI, head to the beach, but don’t hit it out of the park because you might lose the ball in the Bay of Bengal.
IPL screenings
Though our city doesn’t get to host a lot of cricket matches, we have found an alternate way to recreate the feel of sitting in a stadium. Yes, we are talking about enjoying IPL matches at cafes and places with live screening. Check out the link to know where IPL matches are being screened this season.
Share it with your fellow Vizag cricket fans.
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