Mumbai: It was just a warm up game, but the atmosphere at the Brabourne Stadium matched to that of an international fixture. It was no surprise given the significance of the occasion.
The List-A game against the touring England was M.S. Dhoni’s last hurrah as a captain of the India side. Crowd, mostly youngsters, came out in droves. The serpentine queue stretched all the way to the Churchgate station. Entry to the fans was free for match.
The chants of ‘Dhoni..Dhoni’ reverberated the stadium. It only grew louder every time India A lost a wicket as the crowd anticipated Dhoni to walk into the middle.
The cheers reached a crescendo when ‘Captain Cool’ emerged out of the dressing room after Ambati Rayudu retired himself out soon after completing his century.
An enthusiastic fan even scaled six-foot fence and ran on to the field much to the surprise of the security personnel. The police swiftly escorted him out, but not before he touched Dhoni’s feet. Dhoni enthralled the capacity crowd with a 40-ball 68 including two big sixes. He smashed 23 runs off the last over.
