Wankhede’s North Stand, India’s 12th man: Bantering with Virat Kohli, quirky one-liners and cauldron of noise

That’s where the North Stand is. The fabled seating area of the venerated venue.

Liverpool has the Kop, Dortmund has the Die Gelbe Wand – the Yellow Wall – and Wankhede boasts of the North Stand.

For decades, the stand – bang opposite the Pavilion – has provided the soundtrack and set the atmosphere for cricket matches played at the Wankhede Stadium.

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Sachin Tendulkar remembers sitting here as a 10-year-old and watching matches.

And Rohit Sharma remains in awe of the ‘most famous stand (where) the people who come are true cricket fans.’

On Wednesday, when Sharma leads out the team in their bid to reach the first 50-over World Cup final since 2011 against a team known to punch well above its weight, they will be backed by a packed stadium full of partisan fans clad in blue.

The loudest cheers, safe to say, will come from the Level 3 North Stand. It always has.

“Pretty nervous, facing New Zealand in a World Cup semifinal. Going to any match is an act of faith, you don’t know whether you’ll win or lose. But this group is determined to have a good time,” says Tony Sebastian.

For the World Cup, the ‘gang’ members have had to hustle for tickets. With tickets in the usual Level 3 sold to general public and sponsors, the North Stand regulars have found themselves scattered in different sections of the stadium. (Express photo)

Sebastian is a member of the ‘North Stand Gang’, a fan group which pre-dates the refurbished Wankhede.

“In 2009, there was a Test at the Cricket Club of India because Wankhede was under renovation,” says Vipul Yadav. “At that match, phones were allowed inside the stadium for the first time and a few of us exchanged numbers. Then on, we began buying tickets together in the same stand.”

Once the renovated Wankhede began hosting matches, the bunch became regulars at the North Stand, already famous for roars, rhythmic claps and quirky chants.

Over the years, the number of ‘members’ of this unofficial group has expanded to more than 50-plus now. And on matchday, they follow a routine – meet a couple of hours before toss, have a meal at Kayani, the iconic Irani restaurant close to the stadium or the khao galli in the vicinity and then head for the stand.

Once the game ends, some of them will head to a nearby cafe where the day’s play will be passionately dissected.

They’ve been doing this for years, for all Test matches, ODIs and T20s India have played in Mumbai.

For the World Cup, the ‘gang’ members have had to hustle for tickets. With tickets in the usual Level 3 sold to general public and sponsors, the North Stand regulars have found themselves scattered in different sections of the stadium.

Yet, when the match begins, they have found a way to come together. “We find ourselves through the chants and the roars. During the match against Sri Lanka, a friend of ours who had travelled from the USA for the game was in a different stand. We couldn’t reach each other on phone but he figured out where we were just by our chants,” says Nish Navalkar, also a member of the North Stand Gang.

Bantering with Kohli

The organic noise coming from the stands might get drowned out by the loud music blaring out of the speakers but the North Stand tries to make itself heard.

There is a chant for each player, which they’ll keep on singing until the player acknowledges. Most of them are spontaneous and the North Stand regulars take pride in the fact that the one-liners that originate here go on to echo at stadiums across the country.

Mumbai Wankhede Stadium Crowd… ‘Kohli Ko Bowling Do..’#viratkohli #teamindia #INDvsSL #mumbai #worldcup2023 pic.twitter.com/prk4N3ePSS

— Straight Drive (@straightdrivve) November 3, 2023

For Shreyas Iyer, we started, “‘das rupay ki pepsi, shreyas bhai sexy’. There’s an innate kind of humour that comes through,” Sebastian says. “Classic example being ‘Kohli ko bowling do’ during the match against Sri Lanka. In fact, the North Stand shares a special bond with Kohli.”

The relationship with Kohli goes back to 2011. “During a match,” says Yadav, one of the founders of the North Stand Gang, “Kohli was on the boundary and we started chanting, ‘Mumbai ka king kaun, Sachin, Sachin!’ He didn’t respond. After that, we went, ‘Bangalore ka King kaun…’ referring to his IPL side. He was expecting we’ll take his name. But we ended up saying, ‘Sachin, Sachin’! Kohli turned around, and sarcastically applauded and laughed with us.”

The relationship with the former India captain, known to play the crowd perfectly with his emotion and aggression, has grown over the years. “He knows how to use the crowd well,” Sebastian says. “For example, if we shout kohli kohli, he will point to the India badge on his jersey. He knows how to conduct the crowd, asks us to do something and we respond.”

On Wednesday, expect Kohli – standing at first slip – to charge up the crowd when the pacers run in. And expect the North Stand, straight behind him, will happily oblige.