The first test match between India and England will begin at the historic M. A. Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk in Chennai tomorrow. It will be the first international test match in the city without the physical presence of cricket lovers.
Through the years, test cricket has a usual set of admirers in the stadium and mostly the last day of the test will be packed with fans. India played last test match before the pandemic against Bangladesh on 22nd November 2019 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
This is the final series for both India and England in the current ICC World Test Championship. New Zealand is already through to the final of the ICC World Test Championship and both India and England have a big task ahead of them to qualify to the finals.
Scores of cricket fans will have to be content with watching the match over television which is a total miss for the players themselves. Cricket fans used to line up a week before the play to just gaze through the crevices of the Compund walls of the stadium to watch the net practices. Whenever the bus carrying the players enters the stadium there will be a crowd to wave at them even before the play.
The entire area looks deserted now as spectators will not be allowed due to COVID reasons. The recent hero Washington Sundar’s family will also have to give it a miss to see their favourite son playing in the international match for the first time after the thrilling win with Australia. Though the second test between India and England will be opened up for the public, the fun and thrill will be like missing the first show of a block buster.