Free the stands

Once India had confirmed their place in the semi-final at Mohali to take on Pakistan,the scramble for a ticket to Wednesdays game acquired an almost manic frenzy. Anecdotes flew around about the astronomical sums someone had paid for a seat,and also about the wads of cash prospective spectators had held out in vain. But amidst the amusement and derision this spectacle drew,the fact remains that Indian sport is yet to be democratised at the turnstiles.

A semi-final of the World Cup let alone one that brings India and Pakistan face to face during yet another freeze on cricketing tours will never,of course,accommodate all the spectators. Yet,this World Cup has also highlighted how stacked the odds are against anyone wanting to go to any exertions to get in as a buying spectator by camping outside ticket offices,for instance. There are just not enough tickets on sale,as a percentage of seating capacity in our stadia. For instance,when World Cup tickets first went on sale,just about 4,000 were available for the final at Mumbais Wankhede Stadium. The Maharashtra Cricket Association pleaded helplessness,saying the majority of seats had to be allocated to the ICC and affiliated clubs. The story is true at other stadia. And this is why getting a ticket so often becomes a factor of ones capacity to pay (to buy it off a ticket-holder) or,more likely,ones connections to wrangle a pass.

Even at a remove,on the television screen,its clear how an audience keeps the sport true. We saw that,most clearly,during the Commonwealth Games when a new Delhi demographic brought the stands alive. Its time the excuses of our cricket and other associations were junked,and the spectator given her rights at stadia.