World Cup: Few takers for March 3 match tickets

“We sold about 70-80 tickets on the first day. And since it was the first day,most people were not even aware of the availability of tickets. We hope sales of tickets will pick up in the coming days,” shared M K Aggrawal,senior manager with Central Bank of India’s Sector 15 branch.

Like always,the bulk of sales was witnessed in the students’ block and the chair section. “Since Chandigarh has its majority of cricket lovers in the form of students,we saw the maximum rush from them. There also seems to be a demand for the chair section since they come cheap and students also want value-for-money. Also,there is a 50 per cent discount on tickets on first-come-first serve basis for students to attract them,” said Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Spokesman Sushil Kapoor.

Although there weren’t any actual figures for sales of tickets on the first day,Kapoor hoped that people would definitely come forward to see their favourite cricketers from the South African and West Indian sides. “It is the last chance for cricket lovers to see cricketers like Jacques Kallis in action in the World Cup. They know that an opportunity like this won’t come again. That alone is reason enough to drag them to the stadium,” added Kapoor.

However,the biggest factor keeping people away from purchasing tickets is that India won’t play any league matches at the PCA Stadium. If they were,then smiles would have replaces the dour faces of the PCA officials. “I would prefer watching matches at the PCA Stadium on TV. Everybody knows that the matches are going to be one-sided encounters. So,why not sit back at home and enjoy the match,” shared Panjab University (PU) student Gurvinder Singh.

The only ray of hope lies with India. If they reach the semi-final stage,then the city people would get a chance to see city lad Yuvraj Singh and other Indian cricketers in action. “The Indian cricket team can pull the crowd like a magnet. I hope they reach the semi-finals so that we can catch them live in action. The way the Indian team is playing now,it seems our prayers would be answered soon,” chuckled Isha Sharma,an executive with a pharmacy company.