India keep winning - but the crowds stay away

[Namak_Halaal]

India keep winning - but the crowds stay away

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adammountford/mumbai595.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adammountford/2011/10/india_keep_winning_-_but_the_c.html

The one-day international series may be well and truly over as a contest, but we still have the garden of Eden to tempt us.

After another Indian victory in Mumbai on Sunday night, England's players head to Kolkata for two games at the iconic Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium.

It will be the first international match England will have played at India's most famous ground since 2002 after the scheduled World Cup game earlier this year had to be moved because redevelopment work was not finished in time.

Despite the travails of the tour, many of England's players have expressed their excitement at playing at a ground which is sometimes described as cricket's answer to the Coliseum.

The gardens of Eden can be a dangerous place for a man called Adam, but I must admit I am really excited to be visiting the stadium for the first time.

I have always been fascinated with stories of famous matches played in front of raucous crowds as cricketers made their pilgrimage to Kolkata's cricketing centre.

Tales of Douglas Jardine leading England to a series victory in 1934, games where the passion of the crowd spilled over such as the riots which disrupted matches against the West Indies and Australia in the 1960s or the World Cup semi-final in 1996.

Then there is the game recently voted on Test Match Special as the best Test match of all time when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman led India to an amazing Test win over Australia in 2001.

It is always the size of the Kolkata crowd that has seemed the most remarkable part of these stories. You hear figures of 130,000-plus people crammed into the ground on some occasions giving their Indian heroes vigorous support.

I asked India legend and TMS commentator Sunil Gavaskar what it is like to play at a packed Eden Gardens. "Scary," he told me, "even for the home side."

But will it be packed when England play in the fifth ODI on Tuesday or the Twenty20 international on Saturday?

So far, the attendance figures at the first four matches have been really disappointing. I cannot remember seeing a single empty seat on my previous visits to India when the home team have played a one-day international, but on Sunday the Wankhede Stadium was less than half full, even though it was India's first match at the ground since winning the World Cup final in April.

It has been a similar story in Hyderabad, Delhi and Mohali with many tickets left unsold.

So what is keeping the crowds away?

There have been plenty of theories offered by some of the Indians I have met in my three weeks here.

The absence of India's "galacticos" must be a factor with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and especially Sachin Tendulkar missing through injury.

The nature of India's defeat in England must have put off some looking to buy tickets in advance whilst conversely the one-sided nature of this series may have put off some hoping for a contest.

But as I arrived at the ground on Sunday morning I had a chat with Mumbai Cricket Association managing commitee member Vinod Deshpande, who had no doubt what was stopping people coming to the games.

"It is simple," Deshpande told me. "There is just too much cricket."

That argument seems pretty strong when you look at the schedule of India's players over the past few months. February to April had the World Cup with the emotional victory for Mahendra Dhoni and his team.

The Indian Premier League followed, just a handful of days after the World Cup was lifted, with the little matter of 74 matches before India headed to England for the ill-fated Test and ODI series.

India then hosted the Champions League which finished just days before this ODI series got under way. And that is not the end of it! India are about to welcome West Indies for Tests and ODI's before touring Australia.

The Mumbai official told me that there is a danger of the Indian sporting public turning its back on the game. "People want something new," he told me.

In the Times of India newspaper this morning there was a full page advert with the headline "One Nation. One Soul. One Indian Team."

But this had nothing to do with Dhoni and his side. The team in question was the Force India Formula 1 team.

Throughout the tour we have seen Formula 1 cars on display in shopping centres and airports with excitement growing ahead of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix taking place in Delhi at the weekend.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that Formula 1 is suddenly going to replace cricket as the most popular sport in India, but there is a sense that the cricketing authorities can't afford to be complacent.

Already there have been complaints that ticket prices have been too high during the India-England series, with not enough reasonably priced tickets available to buy.

One Indian fan, Yugam Sharma, tweeted me: "They have priced out the average fan. I went to get the tickets on Thursday, but the cheapest (1000 rupees) were sold out in two hours."

It's not just this series which has seen disappointing crowds in recent weeks.

The Champions League final in Chennai featured two Indian sides and yet despite the television commentators constantly going on about the amazing attendance, there were whole stands empty.

There is no real evidence that Indian passion for the game is diminishing. When I visited the famous Maidan playing fields in Mumbai, cricket was still far and away the most popular game among the thousands gathered.

There were a few small football matches breaking out on the edge of the fields and you do see plenty of replica Chelsea or Manchester United shirts.

But despite such examples you sense it is still cricket which, if properly handled, should remain the dominant force in Indian sport.

Although if the lesson from the Garden of Eden was not to eat the forbidden fruit, perhaps the lesson for those running Indian cricket is not to kill the goose which has laid the golden egg.

I'm going for the absence of Galacticos theory.

[shahrukh619]

WT*, for the game at New Delhi, many people tried getting tickets but they failed, i was also planning to go to the Delhi game but din't cause others told me it wasn't easy to get the ticket.

Was the Delhi Game a sold out????

[IgnitedMind]

From What I have seen...almost all games looked sold out. But since its weekdays..people came in after 4/5 PM...before that stadiums were little more than half filled. But by 5/6 PM they were all pretty much full.

[cricketworm]

LOL 65-70 % full seats an average for all 4 matches with capacity of 30,000 - 40,000 thats around 15000 - 20000 people watching cricket on ground for random bilateral series, that's a lot. and compare to other cricket nations that's more than a lot.

[IgnitedMind]

LOL 65-70 % full seats an average for all 4 matches with capacity of 30,000 - 40,000 thats around 15000 - 20000 people watching cricket on ground for random bilateral series, that's a lot. and compare to other cricket nations that's more than a lot.

Some of dem during weekdays!!

[sachin_]

Just see when sachin and sehwag are back for the west indies series :sachin

[Fireworks11]

Saturation. Overdoze makes you dizzy. :asif

[AamchiMumbaikar]

In cities like Bang/ CHEN/HYD/ DEL/ MUM/ KOL people won't turn for matches during day time in week-days....

All the matches after 6 PM were filled up, moreover in IND the television market caters for 1 bill people, which is enuf eye balls for the corporate companies and sponsors to make profits...

[Namak_Halaal]

LOL 65-70 % full seats an average for all 4 matches with capacity of 30,000 - 40,000 thats around 15000 - 20000 people watching cricket on ground for random bilateral series, that's a lot. and compare to other cricket nations that's more than a lot.

LOL!

Did you miss this part?

The Champions League final in Chennai featured two Indian sides and yet despite the television commentators constantly going on about the amazing attendance, there were whole stands empty.

[Itachi]

england is a crap odi side. Who'l want to see it? Bring australia or SA.... See how will be the crowd then....

[cricketworm]

Some of dem during weekdays!!

Also Diwali preparations :)

[cricketworm]

LOL!

Did you miss this part?

Personally I want Champions league get scrapped. So I hope no-one attends that turny. :D

[Itachi]

Personally I want Champions league get scrapped. So I hope no-one attends that turny. :D

i don't even know how this tournament is continuing! Should have been scrapped long ago....

[mastermind_quad]

People will return to stadiums ....no worry ...actually very hectic festive season is going on in India ....currently organizations here having hard time managing "Leave Management" because of number of peoples gone back to their hometown alternatively on different festivals ...and these office goers make up the most of the attendance in stadium ...:)

Eid, Dushera, Diwali, BakraEid etc ...you name any Big Festival and its happening in this duration ...:)

[Gujar]

I wanna see a Pak/India series soon in India. That would be sold out. Probably won't happen though with the political situation.

[cricketworm]

i don't even know how this tournament is continuing! Should have been scrapped long ago....

I wish it gets scrapped. Lost sponsor once, got another for now, but I hope it dies soon. Imagine a tourny. where you HAVE to play 4 IPL team to get decent viewing, otherwise no profit ... ridiculous. And mainly I don't want to hear whining from other Boards, so want it to get scrapped.

[boomboomcheema]

Tendulkar's absence the real reason for stayaway fans




There may be one other factor, and it is to do with the intangible attribute of star quality. Two years ago the International Cricket Council conducted a survey on cricketing heroes. In England the field was more or less evenly split between five or six players, in India, 20 per cent nominated MS Dhoni, four per cent Yuvraj Singh and 75 per cent one other. For 20 years he has filled grounds and emptied them as quickly if he has been out. There is no replacing Sachin Tendulkar.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/on-the-front-foot-tendulkars-absence-the-real-reason-for-stayaway-fans-2374755.html

[cricketindiafan]

Absence of the big stars, thrashing in England, overdose of cricket all these are contributing to these half empty stadiums.

However the biggest reason is the free loaders who get complimentary passes for these matches (nearly 50% of the total seats) not turning up for the games. Thats why you don't see the unclejis and auntyjis with their entire qunba turning up for these ODIs.

[Mehr]

LOL 65-70 % full seats an average for all 4 matches with capacity of 30,000 - 40,000 thats around 15000 - 20000 people watching cricket on ground for random bilateral series, that's a lot. and compare to other cricket nations that's more than a lot.

janta is also more then alot :P

[James]

Because it was a pointless series and nobody cares save Suresh Raina and that bloke from round the corner.

[test_fan]

Too much cricket, especially in the big cities. If you arrange games at Tier-2 cities I am sure it will be packed again. Also I think ticket prices are high. 50/60 bucks for a not so important series and that too in a country like India is too much. But I expect good crowd at the Eden, as Calcutta hasn't seen many international games involving India off late.

[Bullet Drive]

Because it was a pointless series and nobody cares save Suresh Raina and that bloke from round the corner.

Pointless series after you got hammered.

[Namak_Halaal]

Pointless series after you got hammered.

I would say it makes more sense for Indian fans to witness their team hammer England after the drubbing India received this summer. Yet this does not seem to be the case.

[Ambi]

Dhoni not disappointed with thin crowd turn-
out Oct 24, 2011, 11.32AM IST PTI MUMBAI: The Wankhede Stadium, that was jam-
packed when India defeated Sri Lanka to clinch
the coveted World Cup earlier this year, was half
full on Sunday when the hosts took on England in
the fourth ODI, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni was
not disappointed with the poor crowd response. "(I was) Not really (disappointed). Because when
you see the amount of cricket we have played,
with the World Cup happening in India you
know people have turned up for all the games.
You get emotionally involved when it comes to
the World Cup. That's one of the reasons," the Indian skipper said after his side beat England by
six wickets to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match
ODI series.
Dhoni also said that in most of the matches in the
series so far, a decent crowd turned up during
India's innings even though the stadia were not full.
"What we have seen (in the series) is as the
game progresses the stadium gets almost full. It
was not a jam-packed stadium out there
(Wankhede), but I think they also know the
England strategy of batting first and they come after sunset (to see India bat) :amla

[Buffet]

Pointless series after you got hammered.

Actually having 5 ODI against England in SC( Ind/Pak/SriLanks) is kind of pointless because it will be mostly one sided. SA/Aus playing 5 ODI will be competitive.

[cricketworm]

I don't get it. Having 15-20000 for random bilateral series is bad!!!! And by the end of play, it's almost full house.

LOL Okay.

Btw. Odis in England were full house too, mostly by Indians. :P Heck, even matches against counties had decent crowd.

[cricketworm]

Because it was a pointless series and nobody cares save Suresh Raina and that bloke from round the corner.

May be it was pointless series for India but was very imp. series for England and Cook the captain, if you ask me. And I think Cook shouldn't be captain nor should he be in One-day side.

[RehanG]

Pakistan v India.. let it be in Antarctica wanna bet it will be a full house?

[Ambi]

investigative journalism at its best trying to find out why people were not coming to watch dead rubbers.good no of crowds for first two games.there are always few empty stands in mohali except for few thrilling ones (i think punjabis like to protect their skin from blazing sun) so they prefer evenings.expecting half filled stadium at kolkata for the odi and jam packed stadium for t20s for which tickets are already sold out i believe

[ahamedirshad123]

BCCI should have asked either South Africa (not Kolpak players) or Australia to tour India.

Last time it was a full house when Australia toured India.

[ahamedirshad123]

fyi

Only 6000 tickets were sold for Kolkata ODI.

[Rightarmfast]

Because it was a pointless series and nobody cares save Suresh Raina and that bloke from round the corner.

Yeah, it was a pointless series and hence Rest of the World team are 4-0 behind ! Otherwise, we totally believe they would have won :107::107::107:

[James]

Nobody in this country would have batted an eyelid if we had won 5-0, let alone lost by the same margin. I'm afraid that is just the way things are.

[StraightHit]

Nobody in this country would have batted an eyelid if we had won 5-0, let alone lost by the same margin. I'm afraid that is just the way things are.

Nobody you say? The comments section in the link below should be an interesting read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/oct/23/india-england-cricket-humiliation

[James]

.

[James]

Relatively nobody. A few armchair bloggers in the Guardian comment boxes don't represent a country of 60 million people, of which the cricket fans within are far more interested in the test game. Test cricket represents the birth and growth of cricket, both on these shores and elsewhere - the fans are thus conditioned to attach more importance to it.

[nish_mate]

Because it was a pointless series and nobody cares save Suresh Raina and that bloke from round the corner.

Then why is it that the English?? players are more wound up than up a cuckoo clock approaching mid day? :D

So far only the England players are being fined and et al...

Whippy mate, the more the England team hisses and pisses more merrier it gets :D

Regardless of what the fans say, the players face says something else :D

[malakian]

Indians are easily the worst fans in the world. Refuse to clap when another player reaches a milestone, leave the ground when Sachin/Sehwag gets dismissed, and going off this recent series, won't turn up at all unless the big guns are playing.

When you consider this against the barmy army, willing to travel all over the world to watch England, regardless of the result. Best fans in the world, by miles.

[nish_mate]

England fans scraping the bottom of barrel now.

Got nothing +ve to say about self, just moan about the opposition and then getting really desperate and start mudslinging the fans :D

As for the England fans, lucky chaps they got a benefits system to pay for travel all over the world guzzling beer :D

I say good for yaa lot!!! :D

[malakian]

Yeah, because people on benefits can obviously afford to spend thousands of pounds travelling to other countries for months on end. Are you a complete idiot? Jobseekers allowance pays about 70 quid a week.

PS: If anyone can quote me a months holiday in Oz for £280 pls PM it me. Ta

[nish_mate]

Ouch! When you can win start calling the oppo's names :D

And only Indian fans get slated for it :D

[malakian]

Ouch! When you can win start calling the oppo's names :D

And only Indian fans get slated for it :D

Because it was the most ridiculous comment I've ever read on pakpassion.

[nish_mate]

Because it was the most ridiculous comment I've ever read on pakpassion.

Well then clearly either a) you havent spent too much time here b) you havent been reading properly...

In terms of curry what you read was a mild korma while therez lots more vidanlooz's served up on these pages :D

[justbetter]

Do you guys think Australian Rules Football could ever catch on in India? might need a name change for a start though.
Pros:
It's completely different to cricket but was invented by cricketers to train in the offseason.
It's played on a cricket sized oval.
Barely any cost to set up a game, just need 8 poles and a ball.
You wouldn't need to import Australian umpires because they wouldn't know the rules any better than Indian ones.
Plays in the rain.
Cons :
Hot weather sucks for it.
Fatties can't play at a professional level like cricket.

some footy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG3qqtWNy8

[nish_mate]

Do you guys think Australian Rules Football could ever catch on in India? might need a name change for a start though.
Pros:
It's completely different to cricket but was invented by cricketers to train in the offseason.
It's played on a cricket sized oval.
Barely any cost to set up a game, just need 8 poles and a ball.
You wouldn't need to import Australian umpires because they wouldn't know the rules any better than Indian ones.
Plays in the rain.
Cons :
Hot weather sucks for it.
Fatties can't play at a professional level like cricket.

some footy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlG3qqtWNy8

We got Kabbadi as an excuse to grope and get physical with fellow men on the field :D

[Crazy_K]

Nobody in this country would have batted an eyelid if we had won 5-0, let alone lost by the same margin. I'm afraid that is just the way things are.

Nobody in this country (Ingerland) wouldn't have given a crap about cricket had England not won a few series'

Why have you organised a series and bothered turning up if you don't care for ODIs?
So I guess your team is playing this series for the money. What a money-hungry bunch. If they actually cared about the game, they would have put in a better performance than they have so far or at least shown some heart. (Petulant behavior shown so far does NOT equal heart)
Like Bresnan said, "If you don't wanna be here, go home"

[freelance_cricketer]

Because it was a pointless series and nobody cares save Suresh Raina and that bloke from round the corner.

I pity you :zaka













































NOPE ! :Chuck Testa

[Namak_Halaal]

Laughing at Indians telling the English how to and what to think of ODIs and this series given it seems the Indian public do not give two hoots about ODI anyway, and dare I say cricket in general.

20000 spectators attending a stadium that holds 120000 people is a sad indictment of Indian cricket and its mentality towards the great game, not to mention a pansy 6000 tickets were sold for today’s game.

[Crazy_K]

Laughing at Indians telling the English how to and what to think of ODIs and this series given it seems the Indian public do not give two hoots about ODI anyway, and dare I say cricket in general.

20000 spectators attending a stadium that holds 120000 people is a sad indictment of Indian cricket and its mentality towards the great game, not to mention a pansy 6000 tickets were sold for today’s game.

Diwali tomorrow, in case you didn't know its a pretty big deal in India

[Namak_Halaal]

Diwali tomorrow, in case you didn't know its a pretty big deal in India

Yes I did notice, and your retort is only applicable to today's game.

In case you didn't read the OP, the OP was refering to not just 5 games in the current series, but to the CL final too.

Diwali year round is it?

[cricketindiafan]

Laughing at Indians telling the English how to and what to think of ODIs and this series given it seems the Indian public do not give two hoots about ODI anyway, and dare I say cricket in general.

20000 spectators attending a stadium that holds 120000 people is a sad indictment of Indian cricket and its mentality towards the great game, not to mention a pansy 6000 tickets were sold for today’s game.

Obviously you need to get yourself updated. Eden's capacity is around 65K these days. and out of those 65 K, only about 15K get sold through the open market, rest of them dsitrbuted betweem club members, VIPs, and the city administration. Also the tickets are priced 4 times what they used to be earlier (1000 rupees vs 250 earlier).

[Namak_Halaal]

Obviously you need to get yourself updated. Eden's capacity is around 65K these days. and out of those 65 K, only about 15K get sold through the open market, rest of them dsitrbuted betweem club members, VIPs, and the city administration. Also the tickets are priced 4 times what they used to be earlier (1000 rupees vs 250 earlier).

So instead of being 16% full, the ground is now around 25% full, super duper.

[cricketloverindia]

And why does Namak_Halal care about Indian grounds being empty or full? Someone enlighten me please. :)

[Sjaloha]

I think audience are very cricket savy and they understand when to skip a match. A below par tunout is or should not really be a concern at this time.

[s2k]

Ohhh

The english fans and their we dont care about ODIs.....then please dont play them....adn tell that you dont want to play...........and we will not waste our time white washing you.......English cant play spin........cant play in the SC....tests Odis doesnt matter..........their batsman cant play spin.........their bowlers are poor when it doesnt seam.

[SID_ZONE]

And why does Namak_Halal care about Indian grounds being empty or full? Someone enlighten me please. :)

He's the Mark Tully of PakPassion, about time PP honoured him with "PakPassion's India reporter at London" at the least for his wonderful works over few months :asif

[Looney]

they have given up on :sachin 's 100th 100

[Namak_Halaal]

He's the Mark Tully of PakPassion, about time PP honoured him with "PakPassion's India reporter at London" at the least for his wonderful works over few months :asif

Grow up Sid. It's a BBC link. I post loads of links, not just specific to Indian cricket.

Stop being so sensitive and ignorant in the same breath.

Where's your substantive contribution in this thread? Any explanation? Or is the truth in the OP too hot to handle?

[AlizeeFan]

^ N_H : Do you have any information about how many tickets were available for the matches and what percentage were sold? I don't know about this. If you add that information then it can give some more idea about relatively lower turnout.

[SID_ZONE]

"It is simple," Deshpande told me. "There is just too much cricket."

That argument seems pretty strong when you look at the schedule of India's players over the past few months. February to April had the World Cup with the emotional victory for Mahendra Dhoni and his team.

The Indian Premier League followed, just a handful of days after the World Cup was lifted, with the little matter of 74 matches before India headed to England for the ill-fated Test and ODI series.

India then hosted the Champions League which finished just days before this ODI series got under way. And that is not the end of it! India are about to welcome West Indies for Tests and ODI's before touring Australia




I'm going for the absence of Galacticos theory.

It's a no-brainer man, there's too much cricket played in India of late. Too much cricket :)

[SID_ZONE]

they have given up on :sachin 's 100th 100

Not sure about that but the venue you're at by now must have given up on hosting another International match :P

[Namak_Halaal]

Alizeefan - nope, do not have that info, just going by post 33 in reference to today's match, which btw I did put down to Diwali.

But as the OP suggests, the dwindling numbers in spectators is not a one off today, it's a progressive observation. Just wondering what Indians put it down to because after all, it is an interesting observation given just how crazy and passionate Indians are when it comes to cricket.

[Namak_Halaal]

It's a no-brainer man, there's too much cricket played in India of late. Too much cricket :)

Do you reckon if SRT was playing the numbers would be any different? I think so.

[Garuda]

not one reason.

Deewali/Kali puja time in kolkata.
Recent Eng - Ind series. which makes it 10 match ODI series.
Too many cricket matches. WC. WI, ENG tour, CLT30, IND-Eng.
Many big shots not playing.
Series is already won and has been one sided.
Working day.
England has never been competitive against Ind in Ind. Come an Ind-Pak match at same Kolkata and it will be packed.

[AlizeeFan]

Alizeefan - nope, do not have that info, just going by post 33 in reference to today's match, which btw I did put down to Diwali.

But as the OP suggests, the dwindling numbers in spectators is not a one off today, it's a progressive observation. Just wondering what Indians put it down to because after all, it is an interesting observation given just how crazy and passionate Indians are when it comes to cricket.

I found the numbers for that day.5500 tickets were sold out of 25000.

That was really low.

Anyways, it seems BCCI has noticed your disappointment at low turnout and for Mumbai test against WI, tickets will be priced low.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has decided to slash ticket prices for the third Test between India and West Indies to try and draw larger crowds to the Wankhede Stadium. The decision comes after the low attendances during the recent India-England ODI series - 13,000 tickets were sold at the Wankhede Stadium, which seats 33,000.

Daily tickets for the Test will be priced as low as Rs 50 and season tickets for vantage viewing points like the premium Vithal Divecha Pavilion will be on offer for Rs 600. An ODI ticket for the same stand was priced at Rs 5000 (a comparison with previous Test ticket rates is difficult because the last match played at the Wankhede was five years ago). A season ticket in the North Stand will cost Rs 500; a ticket for the ODI against England was priced at Rs 3000. The reduction is even greater for the Sunil Gavaskar Stand (Rs 4000 to Rs 500).

Ticket prices are generally higher in India.

[Namak_Halaal]

Interesting read:

India needs to get bums on seats - Sanjay Manjrekar
http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/138500/138595.2.jpg
http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/538644.html


It is now well established that we have seen the first signs of viewer fatigue towards cricket in India, and towards one-day cricket at that (crowds for Test matches have been low for a long time now).

To be fair to the BCCI, I think the low turnouts for the India-England one-day games took all of us by surprise. This is the first time in the history of modern Indian cricket that low attendances have become an issue - something I thought would never happen in my lifetime. It will be interesting to see what view the board takes of this and how it reacts.

The first Formula 1 race in India was last week, and it served as a reminder that the country is changing, and changing rapidly. It is something everyone invested in Indian cricket should take note of.

We all know excessive cricket is the singular reason for the indifference we see today from fans, but with the FTP already in motion and all boards committed to it, it would be unrealistic to expect administrators to suddenly cut down on the volume of cricket so as to get fans to look forward to an international game, as opposed to making international cricket available to them all the time. In an ideal world there should have been no India-West Indies series, or for that matter the five-match one-day series against England.

Imagine the fan interest if India were seen in action after a gap of two months, in Australia. That would also have meant more time for India to prepare for that tour, and presumably better cricket. The obvious cutting down on quantity for increased quality may come about a few years from now but not in the near future.

What, then, is the next best thing that can be done to bring crowds to grounds? The immediate, and toughest, challenge is the upcoming India-West Indies series. At least there won't be the excuse of surprise here. We know the fans will not be queuing up for this one. The obvious simple solution is to slash ticket prices, or even make entry to the Tests free, to make sure the stands are not embarrassingly empty.

The administrators have a stroke of luck here. Sachin Tendulkar has declared himself available for the Tests against West Indies. What better incentive for the fans to come to the ground than to watch their hero get his 100th international hundred? That would be the centrepiece of my marketing agenda for the first Test: "Watch the legend in flesh and blood as he creates history." Sure, every fan knows about this imminent landmark, but Indian cricket administrators cannot take it for granted anymore that people will turn up by the busload to watch it. They still need to be enticed. A gift - a small memento of the occasion - to every fan who came to the ground, saying "I was there when it happened", would not be a bad idea.

Low turnouts also do great damage to cricket as a TV product. TV viewers get put off when they see empty stands in the background; they take it as an indication that what they are watching is not that fancy. I wonder if TV companies communicate their anxiety about empty stands to the cricket boards, for that sort of image does terrible damage to their efforts of hyping a cricket event.

I am not a big Lalit Modi fan, but this is where you have to take your hat off to the man. In the second year of the IPL, when it had to be moved to South Africa, I don't know what Modi did, but it was unbelievable to see big crowds at South African grounds, watching what was essentially an Indian tournament. Modi was an exception among Indian administrators in that he took personal pride in staging BCCI events. He considered a low turnout for an IPL game a slap on the face. No wonder you had people thronging to watch the IPL.

I have seen Sri Lanka Cricket being indifferent to a handful of people watching a Sri Lanka v South Africa game at the SSC. And there are a few other boards that sit back and relax after receiving their TV rights money. We see daily on television how channels desperately promote their shows, trying to drum up viewership. The time has come for local cricket associations to do the same to bring fans back in large numbers to the grounds.

In England and Australia, watching cricket is, for the fans, a tradition in many ways, and that is an important reason why those countries have managed decent crowds over the years. Other cricket boards could look at their formula and maybe tweak things around a bit. I know this is easier said than done.

I remember commentating at a triangular tournament played in Morocco few years back. (Yes, Morocco.) The organisers there did a very interesting thing. They knew they were not going to get too many locals coming to the stadium to watch the matches, as the event was only stage-managed for TV. To make it attractive for TV, they needed crowds to fill up the ground, and to achieve that, they had raffles after the game, where TVs and other gadgets were given away as prizes to fans whose match tickets bore lucky numbers. There were at least 10,000 Moroccans who had no idea what they were watching on the field but stayed on well after the presentation ceremony. Why? For the raffle.

I am not suggesting that needs to be done in India yet, but because those managing the Morocco event had a personal stake in its success, there was a concerted effort to attract spectators to the grounds.

The bottom line is, if board officials around the world are affected personally, like, say, a shopkeeper is when people don't give him their custom, there are things they can do to get the crowds in. The grounds may not be choc a bloc for Test matches (the timings there are a major hurdle) but at least we can make sure that a Test match does not become a place young couples head to for a little quiet and privacy.

[Eagle_Eye]

Soon they will realise that they need India - Pak series to revive the interest :)

[cricketindiafan]

About 10k people on an average every day for the first test. Not bad for a test in India.

Expect the number to go up to around 25-30k per day for the next 2 tests. Post that the ODI series will again see packed stadiums.

[Ambi]

The revenue from the ticket is only a fraction of what bcci earns from media rights.Today the crowd attendance looked decent.sanjays article is a week old one

[12cavalry]

How was the attendance today?

[Namak_Halaal]

The revenue from the ticket is only a fraction of what bcci earns from media rights.Today the crowd attendance looked decent.

Get real. We know why the crowd levels looked decent today, SRT and his elusive quest for 100th 100. Bearing in mind, Tests aren’t as popular as ODI and T20s in India.



.sanjays article is a week old one

How weak. What do you expect? An article written this morning?

His article is in reference to a trend in Indian cricket. TREND.

Unless you are suggesting that within a week crowd numbers at India's home games is no longer an issue?

[asifp]

They should learn from the NFL. Control the product and demand will be high.

[Ambi]

Get real. We know why the crowd levels looked decent today, SRT and his elusive quest for 100th 100. Bearing in mind, Tests aren’t as popular as ODI and T20s in India.





How weak. What do you expect? An article written this morning?

His article is in reference to a trend in Indian cricket. TREND.

oha really found out some pnew things mate hats off for your marvellous effort

[Namak_Halaal]

oha really found out some pnew things mate hats off for your marvellous effort

No answer therefore you agree with every word. Thought so. Was expected to be honest, once SRT retires, you will stop posting on forums, quit watching cricket, along with a billion more.

You epitomise the very problem highlighted in the OP, you have no love for the game, just blind love for a player – sad and pathetic indictment of Indian cricket.

To those who do not deny reality, here's a further interesting piece on spectator fatigue.

'The game is worthless if people don't watch it' - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/538075.html

[Ambi]

No answer therefore you agree with every word. Thought so. Was expected to be honest, once SRT retires, you will stop posting on forums, quit watching cricket, along with a billion more.

You epitomise the very problem highlighted in the OP, you have no love for the game, just blind love for a player – sad and pathetic indictment of Indian cricket.

To those who do not deny reality, here's a further interesting piece on spectator fatigue.

'The game is worthless if people don't watch it' - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/538075.html

:))) thank you very much for your invaluable effort.

[Big Harvey]

Check out the following, written by Ritesh, an Indian fan. This certainly tallies with my experiences of watching cricket in India:


"I solved a mystery yesterday. In a Test that could well see Sachin Tendulkar hit his 100th international century, only 8,000 people turned up on a Sunday to a ground that holds 50,000.

Of course such turnouts are not uncommon at marginal grounds where the BCCI insists on hosting Test matches, but this was the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, where cricket has been played since 1883 and which staged its first test in 1948. Yet, what we saw yesterday was this: (pic of empty seats)

Sunday began as a glorious day in Delhi, with no sign of the infamous Delhi smog and the first hint of winter in the air. While reading the previews of the Test over morning coffee, my wife and I agreed that it was a perfect day to watch some cricket. The plan was to get comfortable seats in a stand that serves good food and drink, so we could read the newspaper and chat, with occasional cricket interruptions. Hopefully nothing too exciting would happen in the game to affect our plan.

So we set off early for the 90 minute drive to the stadium. There were more policemen than spectators outside the stadium, and we played a little game of pointing out the paunchiest among them (we found at least a dozen officers of Gatting-esque proportions). When we politely asked where we could park, we were asked if we have “parking accreditation”. Since we were unfamiliar with the term, we were pointed to a location approximately 5km away, where a “park and ride” service was available.

20 minutes and much Google-Maps-fiddling later, we were parked and ready to ride. The organisers unfortunately were unclear about the “ride” part of the arrangement – we were expected to find our own rides back to the stadium, a fact that was complicated by the traffic restrictions around the parking area. But the day was still good for walking and sharing rickshaws with strangers and we had missed only an hour of play when we reached the stadium (again).

On reaching the ticket window, we were informed that the ticket window was closed because it was Sunday.

Just reflect on that. It is the first day of the only Test match you will host this year. The ground is not even one-fifth full. Yet you don’t sell tickets because it is Sunday.

The policemen (who were genuinely polite and helpful for a change) told us that tickets were also available at major banks and at least one of those banks worked on Sundays. They even gave us directions to the nearest branch, about 3km away. Of course the traffic restrictions were still in place, so again we walked. There was one person selling tickets there and at least 200 people in line. Still, we had come so far so we decided to wait.

At the counter they told us we could buy day-tickets for the concrete bleachers (exposed to the sun and approximately at square leg), but for any other stand they were selling only 5-day tickets. It was as if the DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association) deliberately wanted to keep the turnout low. We only wanted to watch the game on Sunday, but after much deliberation decided to buy tickets for all the five days because, well, we had come too far to back out now.

So triumphantly we walked to the stadium for the third time since the morning. By this time the game was midway through the second session. We were hungry and dehydrated and the missus was growing irritated, but hey we at least had tickets. Unseen treats awaited us on the other side of the security barrier.

Then the metal detector beeped. Our new tablet computer was the problem. According to the fine print behind the ticket, you are allowed to take phones and digital cameras to the ground, but there was no mention of tablets. I gave a full technology demo of my tablet, sent a text message from it (to prove it was a phone) and took a picture (to prove it was a camera). But it fell somewhere in the twilight zone of technology products and the final decision was no.

We had a choice – we could go back to our car (which was parked 5km away), keep the tablet there, walk back and catch maybe 90 minutes of play. Or we could cut our losses and run. We ran. We had spent half a day and several thousand rupees already, and not even the enticing prospect of watching part of Umesh Yadav’s Test debut could bring us back to the stadium.

I guess we were insufficiently committed to Test cricket. With fans like these, no wonder Test cricket is dying in the subcontinent."

http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/india-v-west-indies-match-report/2011/11/08/

[Big Harvey]

.

[AlizeeFan]

On reaching the ticket window, we were informed that the ticket window was closed because it was Sunday.

:)) :))

Expect better management in Mumbai after low attendances at other places. Nothing can be said about Kolkata test.

[Ambi]

Check out the following, written by Ritesh, an Indian fan. This certainly tallies with my experiences of watching cricket in India:


"I solved a mystery yesterday. In a Test that could well see Sachin Tendulkar hit his 100th international century, only 8,000 people turned up on a Sunday to a ground that holds 50,000.

Of course such turnouts are not uncommon at marginal grounds where the BCCI insists on hosting Test matches, but this was the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, where cricket has been played since 1883 and which staged its first test in 1948. Yet, what we saw yesterday was this: (pic of empty seats)

Sunday began as a glorious day in Delhi, with no sign of the infamous Delhi smog and the first hint of winter in the air. While reading the previews of the Test over morning coffee, my wife and I agreed that it was a perfect day to watch some cricket. The plan was to get comfortable seats in a stand that serves good food and drink, so we could read the newspaper and chat, with occasional cricket interruptions. Hopefully nothing too exciting would happen in the game to affect our plan.

So we set off early for the 90 minute drive to the stadium. There were more policemen than spectators outside the stadium, and we played a little game of pointing out the paunchiest among them (we found at least a dozen officers of Gatting-esque proportions). When we politely asked where we could park, we were asked if we have ¡°parking accreditation¡±. Since we were unfamiliar with the term, we were pointed to a location approximately 5km away, where a ¡°park and ride¡± service was available.

20 minutes and much Google-Maps-fiddling later, we were parked and ready to ride. The organisers unfortunately were unclear about the ¡°ride¡± part of the arrangement ¨C we were expected to find our own rides back to the stadium, a fact that was complicated by the traffic restrictions around the parking area. But the day was still good for walking and sharing rickshaws with strangers and we had missed only an hour of play when we reached the stadium (again).

On reaching the ticket window, we were informed that the ticket window was closed because it was Sunday.

Just reflect on that. It is the first day of the only Test match you will host this year. The ground is not even one-fifth full. Yet you don¡¯t sell tickets because it is Sunday.

The policemen (who were genuinely polite and helpful for a change) told us that tickets were also available at major banks and at least one of those banks worked on Sundays. They even gave us directions to the nearest branch, about 3km away. Of course the traffic restrictions were still in place, so again we walked. There was one person selling tickets there and at least 200 people in line. Still, we had come so far so we decided to wait.

At the counter they told us we could buy day-tickets for the concrete bleachers (exposed to the sun and approximately at square leg), but for any other stand they were selling only 5-day tickets. It was as if the DDCA (Delhi and Districts Cricket Association) deliberately wanted to keep the turnout low. We only wanted to watch the game on Sunday, but after much deliberation decided to buy tickets for all the five days because, well, we had come too far to back out now.

So triumphantly we walked to the stadium for the third time since the morning. By this time the game was midway through the second session. We were hungry and dehydrated and the missus was growing irritated, but hey we at least had tickets. Unseen treats awaited us on the other side of the security barrier.

Then the metal detector beeped. Our new tablet computer was the problem. According to the fine print behind the ticket, you are allowed to take phones and digital cameras to the ground, but there was no mention of tablets. I gave a full technology demo of my tablet, sent a text message from it (to prove it was a phone) and took a picture (to prove it was a camera). But it fell somewhere in the twilight zone of technology products and the final decision was no.

We had a choice ¨C we could go back to our car (which was parked 5km away), keep the tablet there, walk back and catch maybe 90 minutes of play. Or we could cut our losses and run. We ran. We had spent half a day and several thousand rupees already, and not even the enticing prospect of watching part of Umesh Yadav¡¯s Test debut could bring us back to the stadium.

I guess we were insufficiently committed to Test cricket. With fans like these, no wonder Test cricket is dying in the subcontinent."

http://www.kingcricket.co.uk/india-v-west-indies-match-report/2011/11/08/

such a sophisticated indian fan.i wonder what prompted him to stay away from buying ticket from online especially when going to watch a cricket match with his family :amla
To be honest DDCA and BCA officials are the worst ones

[cricketindiafan]

BUMP

No Sachin, no MSD, no Yuvraj, Bhajji, Zaheer also out yet the 4 ODIs of Ind-WI have been played in packed stadiums. Glad to see such crowds for the ODIs after a disappointing turnout vs England.

The clear message is take the international matches to the smaller centers where there is no IPL hence lot of appetite for int'l cricket and you will still see packed stadiums.

[Ambi]

One of the big trolls was really worried about the future of indian cricket and its effect on world cricket:)))

[SID_ZONE]

Troll got pwned..once again! :)

[Namak_Halaal]

^

Yes children, Sanjay Manjrekar was blagging, trolling, and crying like most Indians PPers, and Adam Mountford was drunk.

Should have known better :facepalm:

[cricketworm]

Telling him troll is complement ... troll knows that they trolling ... but this Grandpa ....

[Ambi]

Troll got pwned..once again! :)

:)))

[Ambi]

Telling him troll is complement ... troll knows that they trolling ... but this Grandpa ....

grandpa:)))

[s2k]

Why do u guys even take him seriously?

[Namak_Halaal]

Yeah Sachinistas, why do you take me seriously? Don’t, especially when I cite articles written by Indians who share the same concerns. Ignore what your countrymen have to say, follow me!

Pure jokers, SRT couldn't pack the ground, but along comes Sehwag's crew and there's no place to stand let alone sit!

Ho ho ho!

[cricketworm]

Grandpa: "Oooh oooh I am getting pwned! ... ok ... ok .... let me hide behind Sachin ... let Sachin shield me"

[Namak_Halaal]

:)))

CW, how about an another edit? From 'Guy' to 'Don'?

[shahrukh619]

Grandpa: "Oooh oooh I am getting pwned! ... ok ... ok .... let me hide behind Sachin ... let Sachin shield me"

What was the third world cup that india won??? IPl:))

No really it says it on ur sig

[cricketworm]

What was the third world cup that india won??? IPl:))

No really it says it on ur sig

Let us know when you find out!

[kungfu90]

It was never a big concern tbh. ODIs should be in the smaller cities.

[bcci]

Don't people get it that fans actually work in big cities these days hence the higher rate of inflation in India. Smaller cities they still would skip a day's work to attend a match.