Fever pitch in Chennai as cricket-mad India fans return for second Test
AFP
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But from the first ball the home crowd made its presence known, with the socially-distanced spectators cheering every run.
With tourist travel to India still banned, only England fans living in India could come and support their team -- and they were expected to be very thin on the ground.
Street vendors sold caps, hooters, flags and shirts for around a dollar each around the MA Chidambaram Stadium to home fans excited to be back.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who retired from international cricket last year but captains the Chennai franchise in the Indian Premier League, continues to be the top draw among fans in the city.
Skipper Virat Kohli and senior batsman Rohit Sharma also remain popular among young fans who wore their favourite cricketer’s jerseys.
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"We went into losses with cricket shut down. I hope we sell good today and in the coming days," Anil Kumar Mishra, a Delhi resident who moves around cities to sell cricket items on match days, told AFP.
"Thankfully the coronavirus situation is not too bad here and people are coming to watch the game. I will move to Ahmedabad for the third and fourth match after this."
Social distancing was tough to maintain at counters where hundreds lined up to renew their online tickets which cost a maximum of around $3.
Shiva Kumar, 62, patiently waited to get inside with his wife and praised the ground authorities.
"I haven't missed a match since 1966 when I came as an eight-year-old," Kumar told AFP.
"I don't fear the virus as all safety measures are in place."
