Hyderabad: The much-anticipated Pakistan vs Netherlands cricket match at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium turned out to be a rather dull affair in terms of spectator attendance on Friday. Some die-hard fans, however, turned up donning Indian jerseys or those of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Thousands of seats remained unoccupied, prompting organisers to sell tickets at gate in a last-minute bid to fill the void. This scarcity of spectators marked a stark contrast to the usual cricket frenzy that Hyderabad is known for, but then India was not playing.
Traffic snarls, commonplace during high-profile cricket matches, were absent around the stadium. The absence of the familiar cacophony of horns and bustling crowds painted a surreal picture of calm around the venue. Instead of the usual loud cheers and boisterous chants, spectators were treated to a visual spectacle of face paintings and an abundance of Virat Kohli-themed attire.
"Hyderabad's cricket community is wide and known for its crazy fandom. Unfortunately, we don't have a single match of India being played here. I hope there's something HCA could do about it," said Anoop Kumar, a fan.
Another fan Kanti Priya Naidu said, "It's sad to see such a quiet game but it probably reveals truer fans of the sport and not just a team. Nevertheless, Pakistan is a great team to watch, Australia is another tight team to watch play live."
Several other issues regarding flag poles and bottles not being allowed into the stadium only worsened some other fans' moods. "We suffered badly during the poorly organised match several months ago. We didn't want a repeat of that, but looks like we won't fall short of water inside the stadium today," said Vijay Prasad, another fan.
