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We claimed the game
fair and square

Carl Hooper

Although we were awarded the first one-dayer at Jamshedpur when unrest in the stands forced a halt to play, I accepted Sourav Ganguly's offer to go back to the field because I wanted to have a result on the field rather than in a drawing room.

I will remember the Jamshedpur game for both right and wrong reasons; right, because we at last won a game on this tour; and wrong, because of the trouble in the stands.

A trend has emerged where one-dayers see the crowd at its most boisterous and raucous mood. They are festive and vocal, a mix of serious and frivolous. The ones in the Tests are a bit more patient and understand the subtleties of the game. Feelings can run high in the stands of a one-day game. At least twice in this game, before the matter got out of hand, my attention was drawn to sparks of unrest in the crowd.

Vasbert Drakes twice complained to me about objects being thrown at him in the fine leg area. It was disturbing but not a fit case for interruption in the game.

Harbhajan Singh's final over brought the underlying disquiet out in the open. It was a good over for us, as a six and a couple of fours were managed. For the first time the equation came down to more balls and less runs. Now empty cans and bottles started coming from the crowd and Sourav Ganguly had no option but to take his men out of the field.

We were ahead in the equation at this stage and a winner on the Duckworth-Lewis formula. Mike Procter, the match referee, made a public announcement to this effect before coming over to me and briefing me of his decision.

A little later he came again to say Ganguly was prepared to go back to the field and finish the game. I too was keen to have a proper end to the game and promptly agreed.

My reason for agreeing to the restart of the game was simple: I would have a result on the field rather than in a drawing room. Besides, it is still fresh in my mind how we choked in the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka against South Africa in September.

It was important to know if we had learnt from it. It is vital for this team to try and win some close finishes.

Ganguly, on his part, did what any professional cricketer would do under the circumstances. He was not willing to hand it over to us and was prepared to fight. He must have wanted to see if his side could still make a match out of it.

In the end, we won at the very last gasp with darkness creeping in the background. We claimed the game fair and square. I never felt physically threatened personally or for my team at the chaos beyond the boundary. It is different for a fielding side though and for men who are stationed in the deep.

I find it difficult to comprehend that the areas most affected had loads of policemen in patrol. They should have made sure the trouble-makers were brought to book from areas where bottles were thrown. It wasn't a pretty sight and I am sure the administrators will now do what is best for the game.

I have experienced unrest in the stands in both India and Pakistan in the past. The closest to it though was a game in the Caribbean when Richie Richardson was our captain and we lost to South Africa. The crowd didn't turn violent as such but the hot air from the stands was palpable.

As for the game in the middle, our batting again stood us in good stead. Wavell Hinds continues his upward surge and so does Ramnaresh Sarwan. Marlon Samuels came good at his promoted position of number three. But the fielding disappointed us again.

I am not too surprised at our win as I believe we are a better one-day than a Test side. I don't think the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan affects the strength of this Indian side much. It will be interesting to see how they respond now.

Related reports
BCCI condemns Jamshedpur crowd behaviour
ICC calls for report on Jamshedpur match

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