A festival for Gwalior

The streets of the Shankargarh village area were packed with incoming traffic at 5:00 PM, some two hours before the first T20I between India and Bangladesh yesterday. There was tight security but that hardly dampened the fans' excitement for the game in Gwalior, where international cricket had returned after 14 years.

The last time this city saw an international game of cricket, India's greatest-ever had captured the imagination of the world with a double hundred -- the first-ever in ODIs.

That venue – Roop Singh Stadium – is almost in ruins now and international cricket has remained out of Gwalior's reach for a long time. The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore would sate the cricket appetite of Madhya Pradesh fans till Sunday when Gwalior's long wait finally ended as the city hosted its first ever T20I.

Sachin Tendulkar's double ton saw the changing of times in white-ball cricket. A homage to Tendulkar's knock was shown on the big screen during the game. The progress of T20I and the latest venue in Gwalior, the 54th international cricket venue in India, has caught the trend of times with the right facilities.

The eagerness to host international cricket could be felt too. Even on walks around the city, BCCI media accreditation card holders who are here to cover the match would often have to field queries from locals about match tickets. So, it was not a surprise that tickets were sold out on the very first day they went on sale.

The stadium has only undergone the first phase of its completion. A roof and more tiers in the stands are to be built. The eventual capacity of the stadium will surpass 30,000.

On Sunday, hundreds of bikes were parked in the field adjacent to the stadium and thousands of cheerful fans were entering the gates before the match, creating an epic atmosphere for a historic event.

"We used to watch matches in Roop Singh Stadium and many matches were held there. We are so excited right now to watch a game in the new stadium. We have waited so long. This is a festival for us," a job-holder who came with a few of his friends, told this reporter before entering the stadium.

A couple were seen hurrying along excitedly, perhaps wanting to catch every bit of the action. Catching up to them, they informed that it was their first ever live cricket match at any venue.

"We are very excited and we are going to show our full energy in this match," both exclaimed.

India skipper Suryakumar Yadav appeared to be a crowd favourite of sort. "Surya's innings is what we are looking forward to. I think he will smash it to all parts and India will win by a big margin," a couple named Shubham and Harpritha said together.

They also said how fast they had to act to get tickets. "The first day that tickets were on sale, within one hour everything got booked. Gwalior crowd is totally invested in this and you will see the energy in the stands," he said.

Some 40 minutes later, the toss took place and another 30 minutes later the game began. A loud reaction was expected, but the roar of the crowd still was something significant. There appeared to be no empty space in the stands.

The latest international stadium in India got its warm welcome.