As the countdown for ICC Cricket World Cup begins, Ranchiites are making special plans to express their love for cricket. Barely three days are left for the tournament to start in Australia. Interestingly, the plans are more for the matches of Team India. The men in blue will clash with Pakistan in its first match on February 15.
Some denizens have decided to distribute the game schedule in schools, some are mulling to prepare variety of snacks while others are searching ideas. Rohan Deo Pathak, a local singer-cum-fan of Team India Skipper MS Dhoni recorded a Hindi song with lyrics ‘Jeet ki taiyari…phir ek bari…jitega phir India..dekhegi puri duniya’ in his studio on Tuesday. “I had always composed song before any world cricket tournament. Cricket is my first love,” he said. He will soon upload his newly composed song on YouTube.
Dhoni Fans Club president Jitendra Singh would hold a general body meeting on February 12 regarding strategies of promoting the craziness. He said, “In World Cup 2011, when Team India won with Dhoni as Captain, we had distributed pocket diaries of India’s match fixture before the tournament. This year also, we are hopeful of distributing the same in city schools.”
Senior Coach of Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) Manik Ghosh has done an advance booking for dozens of chairs, loads of sweets and fire-crackers. “I am searching a hall near Morhabadi where 30 or 40 best players of my private coaching academy will get the chance of watching the live match on a big screen. If India wins, they will get the chance of relishing ladoos and burning fire-crackers,” Ghosh said.
At Sports Authority of India (SAI) Ranchi centre where cricket is not included for training the players, the centre In-Charge Sushil Kumar Verma will be allowing his boarding players to watch the matches of India on television of recreation room. “We coaches and our students prepare litti-chokha on special occasions. ICC World Cup is among those occasions,” Verma said.
However, the charm is comparatively less in local sports shop. City’s popular Raj Sports Company is receiving few orders from cricket fans. Asked the reason its proprietor Jasminder Singh said the demand for equipments and t-shirts is more from hockey lovers. “Most of the good cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar have retired. Moreover, India is not performing well in the practice sessions. In such scenario, hockey fans are coming here due to the overwhelming response for the ongoing Hockey India league,” Singh added.
At Prime Sports near lala lajpat Rai Chowk or Sujata Chowk, the owner said they used to receive World Cup t-shirt orders prior to 15 days of the tournament but this year no one can contacted.