The buzz around the JSCA Stadium ahead of the fourth India-England Test was rather muted on match-eve. This is perhaps why tickets have been priced as low as ₹400. And if you shell out ₹2000, you can land in the JSCA President’s Enclosure!
“Dhoni khel raha hai? (is Dhoni playing),” asked Gopal, a taxi driver. On learning that one of Jharkhand’s favourite sons had long retired from international cricket, he asked if Virat Kohli was playing. Disappointed on that count too, he wore an exasperated look. “Team mein bacha hi kya hai (what’s left of the team),” he muttered.
Perception matters, in sports like in politics. But without Dhoni for long, and without Kohli this series, India has mostly won that battle. The Test side of today is an all-conquering unit, and over three matches in the last month, it has dipped into its seemingly inexhaustible reserves to bounce back from a 0-1 deficit to go 2-1 ahead.
