Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently shared an interesting anecdote about Virat Kohli’s concerns during the Chennai Test between India and Bangladesh. Ashwin recalled how both he and Kohli were taken aback by the sparse crowd turnout on the first day of the match, leaving Kohli particularly worried about the lack of fan support.
On Day 1, the stands were noticeably empty, a sight that surprised the players. However, as the day progressed, more spectators arrived, and by the end of play, the crowd had grown significantly, cheering for the home team with great enthusiasm.
While speaking on his YouTube channel with former cricketer and commentator Ashwath Bobo, Ashwin recounted the conversation he had with Kohli about the initially empty stadium. Kohli, who thrives on crowd energy, was clearly bothered by the low turnout. Ashwin, however, noticed that after Kohli’s comment, the stadium began to fill up.
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“The ground was empty on the first day. I was wondering why the ground was so empty on Day 1. Virat kept telling me that no one was coming to watch the Test match. But from that moment, there was a huge crowd. I wanted to ask you why so many people struggled to buy tickets?” Ravichandran Ashwin asked Ashwath during their discussion.
While Kohli was disappointed with the crowd, his performance on Day 1 didn’t lift the spirits either. The star batter was dismissed for just 6 runs in the first session, and unfortunately, he couldn’t recover in the second innings, managing only 17 runs. Despite Kohli’s struggles, the growing crowd eventually made its presence felt, much to the players’ delight.
In response to Ashwin’s question about the sparse attendance, Ashwath Bobo explained that many fans preferred buying day tickets over season tickets. He said there was uncertainty about whether the match would last all five days, which led to hesitation among fans when it came to purchasing season tickets.
“Many people were afraid that the match would not go on till the 4th or 5th day,” Ashwath said. He added that once fans realized the match would be competitive, they flocked to buy day tickets, leading to large crowds by the weekend. However, a single ticket counter at the stadium led to delays and frustration among fans trying to get in.
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“Yes, there was just one counter. There were a lot of problems. When I came, there was a huge crowd in that line,” Ashwath shared, noting that despite the initial struggles, the crowd remained enthusiastic till the end of the match.
