Wankhede turns its stiff back on the past

With no back-rests and a sure chance of going home with a stiff backside,the old Wankhede Stadium's stands for the masses.

With no back-rests and a sure chance of going home with a stiff backside,the old Wankhede Stadium’s stands for the masses ensured that watching cricket was nothing less than a believer’s jagged pilgrimage. Built in 1974,Mumbai’s Wankhede wasn’t quite a cushy venue before it underwent an extensive 3-year reconstruction period in preparation for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. But more than the commissioning of over 1000 new toilet seats,40 snacks counters,better viewing and ventilation,it is the replacement of Wankhede’s ubiquitous cement platforms and wooden bench seats with the humble and simple plastic bucket seats that has been the biggest boon for spectators.

One seat for each ticket holder,it seems is a joyful new realisation of watching cricket here. For Prashant Sawant,a former Mumbai cricketer who has been regularly watching matches at the venue for the last 20 years,it is nothing short of revolutionary. “We used to sit on benches before. We had to keep a paper or something on our seats. Because when we got up to cheer,suddenly you would find that when you wanted to sit down there was somebody already sitting over there!” he recalls.

“The best part is that they have improved the cheaper stands as well. There are fewer seats but the open spaces mean that there is more ventilation. And you get an amazing view as well. Earlier the benches were flat,so you had to crane your neck to get a better look. And by the end of a day’s play you would get a stiff neck,and if the person in front of you was a tall person,then you would be lucky to get any view at all. Now it feels like you are right on top of the playing field,” Sawant adds.

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According to Lalchand Rajput,former Mumbai opening batsman and currently official of the MCA,making a spectator-friendly stadium was precisely the reason the Wankhede was refurbished. “I first came to the ground in 1974 to watch a benefit match for Farokh Engineer. I sat in the north stand. I used to think what a great seat this was. Then I moved to the east stand because they were the cheapest tickets. After that once I got selected in the team,I got to sit in the dressing room and also watch from the outfield and pitch. Now I sit in the member’s box. So I have been everywhere,and know where all improvements were needed,” says Rajput.

Another of those who enjoyed the new Wankhede,was someone who had also sat alongside Rajput all those years ago. Now 67-year-old,Shekhar Satle,sat in the north stand for the NZ-Sri Lanka game. While Satle has been frequenting the Wankhede for the nearly four decades,the latest game was watched from a purely aesthetic experience it turned out to be his best one yet. “There was plenty of air,the seats were comfortable. Earlier,you had to be a crazy cricket fan to come to matches here. Now you’ll have to be crazy not to,” he says. And Satle also isn’t going to be so rigid about his dislike for the stadium. “I am trying to get tickets for the final also. If India play here and win,then I will forgive Wankhede,” he declares the always demanding Mumbai cricket fan.