
Sadly, when Virender Sehwag raised his bat to acknowledge his double hundred today, there were hardly any ovation. Not then, and not later, when he walked back to the pavilion at the end of the day. This was hardly to be expected after the fantastic amount of attention the ODI series received. Just 5-6,000 people; that too, on the first day of the first Test between the two countries in five years.
Though no official was willing to stick his neck out and come on quote, a couple of them, on condition of anonymity, did put forward a couple of possible reasons for poor show on the part of the Multan public8230;.
8226; The ODIs finished first. And if that wasn8217;t enough, Pakistan8217;s form dipped towards the end giving India an easy victory. That has taken away the interest and all the excitement is now over.
8226; The location of the stadium, which is about 6-7 kilometers from the main city
8226; The excessive security, which makes it impossible for the paying public to get into the ground without a problem
8226; High-priced tickets: A general enclosure ticket costs Rs 50 while for a shaded enclosure, the price goes up to Rs 500, which makes it tough for a salaried person at the end of the month
8226; The heat. It affects not just the players, but also the spectators
But except for Reason One and Three, all these are constants, and didn8217;t keep the crowds away when the Pakistan-Bangladesh Test was played here.
The stands were packed to capacity when local hero boy Inzamam-ul Haq was stitching together a memorable Pak win.
So maybe the Big Factor is the Inzi Factor. If he turns out on Day Three of late on Day Two, maybe he can play Pied Piper and bring the Multan public over.