3 golds before empty stands

At 4.30 pm at the DB Jadhav Indoor Stadium in the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex,there were rows of empty blue-and-green stands.

At 4.30 pm at the DB Jadhav Indoor Stadium in the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex,there were rows of empty blue-and-green stands. The state-of-the art stadium,with a seating capacity of 6,000,was playing host to three Greco-Roman style mens wrestling events,an area where India clearly excels. In the next two hours,the Indian contingent would go on to bag all three gold medals up for the day.

In the first set of finals,the 60-kg wrestling event,Indias Ravinder Singh easily overpowered his opponent from England,Christopher Terence Bosson,amid loud cheers from the handful of spectators. Despite most spectators confessing their unfamiliarity with the sport,there was plenty of enthusiasm. Each time an Indian wrestler took to the mat,out came the Indian flags,and the stadium resonated with loud cheers,Chak de India being the clear favourite. Each Indian wrestler took a victory lap wrapped in the Tricolour as the stands obliged him with a standing ovation.

Among the spectators was 67-year-old Ashrifullah,a retired employee of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This format of wrestling is not popular among Indians,maybe that is why people have not shown up. Even I dont understand the rules,but my friends bought tickets and we came. Wait till Sushil Kumar comes on,and I am sure the stands will fill up. That will be the real Indian kushti.

By 6 pm,when Indias Sanjay Kumar began his final 74-kg bout with South African Brian Richard Addinall,the stands had filled up a bit more. Two ends of the stadium now appeared full,with a sea of stands empty in between. Kumar displayed incredible flair in overpowering his opponent and the spectators were loud in cheering for him.

Rohit Dutt,whose father was a wrestler in Indian Commonwealth Games contingent sometime in the 1970s was happy to finally witness India win a gold. The 29-year-old had come with friend Karan Purohit,and the two were among the few spectator who understood the rules. They got to their feet each time the bout entered an interesting phase.

By 6.40 pm,it wasnt taking much to elicit applause from the stands. The spectators knew there was one round to go for India to notch up a perfect score. The last bout of the day saw Indias Anil Kumar take on Australias Hassene Fkiri in the 96-kg round-off. This one had all the makings of good rubber,with both wrestlers matching each other. Kumar,who was too busy taking his victory lap,probably did not notice Fkiris rude gesture which eventually stripped him off his silver medal. During the last medal ceremony,an emotional Asrifullah said,I cannot tell you how happy I was to stand for the National Anthem thrice in a day. Everyone who says India lacks sporting prowess should have been here to cheer our boys. Its a shame that so few people turned up.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram