Thronging by the droves!
Lucknow, Dec 19, 2016, DHNS
Enthusiastic bunch
There’s no doubt that Lucknow loves hockey. On Sunday, they proved it once again as thousands thronged the Major Dhyan Chand stadium to see India take on Belgium in the final of the Hockey Junior World Cup.
The capacity crowd here was not left disappointed as India dished out a superb performance to beat Belgium 2-1 at lift the World Cup for the second time.
A city that has given hockey wizards like Mohammed Shahid and Syed Ali, left no stone unturned to create the best atmosphere. The streets leading up to the stadium wore a decorated look. “It’s (the stadium) a little far, but that’s nothing when it’s about our hockey team,” said Ajit Kumar, a local who made the 15-km long journey from the city to the stadium.
The atmosphere inside the stadium too slowly reached its crescendo as Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh drilled goals apiece in a flawless show of their domination on the Belgians. “It’s not always that we get to see the Indian team play here. This is the final. There’s no way we would have missed this one,” explained Nilesh Pandey who had come with a bunch of his friends for the big final.
While outside the stadium, the mood was palpable before the start of the game with many getting their face painted in the shades of the tricolour. There were a few who made the most of the opportunity to sell Indian flags and headgears. “I have a small shop outside the stadium. And I have been seeing a good turnout for the matches in the past 8-10 days,” said Sujit Kumar, one of many vendors who cashed in by to selling flags.
“And with today being the final and India playing in it, I thought this idea,” he added.
The capacity crowd here was not left disappointed as India dished out a superb performance to beat Belgium 2-1 at lift the World Cup for the second time.
A city that has given hockey wizards like Mohammed Shahid and Syed Ali, left no stone unturned to create the best atmosphere. The streets leading up to the stadium wore a decorated look. “It’s (the stadium) a little far, but that’s nothing when it’s about our hockey team,” said Ajit Kumar, a local who made the 15-km long journey from the city to the stadium.
The atmosphere inside the stadium too slowly reached its crescendo as Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh drilled goals apiece in a flawless show of their domination on the Belgians. “It’s not always that we get to see the Indian team play here. This is the final. There’s no way we would have missed this one,” explained Nilesh Pandey who had come with a bunch of his friends for the big final.
While outside the stadium, the mood was palpable before the start of the game with many getting their face painted in the shades of the tricolour. There were a few who made the most of the opportunity to sell Indian flags and headgears. “I have a small shop outside the stadium. And I have been seeing a good turnout for the matches in the past 8-10 days,” said Sujit Kumar, one of many vendors who cashed in by to selling flags.
“And with today being the final and India playing in it, I thought this idea,” he added.
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