Hitting a stroke of luck

Ahmedabad, November 18

Everyone wants tickets, with some willing to pay Rs 50,000 for one, and the stadium of 1.33 lakh is likely to fall short of the demand. Jaanki Majithia from London, who’d been spotted sleeping during New Zealand’s chase in the semifinal in Mumbai, hasn’t been able to procure one, and not for want of trying.

But we heard of a young man from Chandigarh who managed to get his hands on two tickets, only yesterday, and he and a friend started on a road journey by taxi to Ahmedabad. “Staying the night in Udaipur, then we’d take the same cab to Ahmedabad,” Abhinav said. That’s about 1,200 kilometres — and the day after the game, the journey would be made in reverse! And they count themselves as the lucky ones.

Sweet, sweet food of Ahmedabad does not suit everyone’s palate. You need to hunt around for food that you’re accustomed too — but since the stadium is way out of the city, and situated among small shops that offer mostly tea or biscuits, you are at the mercy of the local association, and the sweet food it provides. Then the food runs out — because it’s been ordered for only 100 press personnel, though over 200 of them would be accredited to cover the final. Being hungry, and tea-less and coffee-less, is a surreal experience in the biggest stadium in the world.