Rohit heaps praise on Bengaluru fans

Bengaluru: At a time when Test cricket is finding it hard to sustain fans' patronage in the onslaught of T20 cricket, the big crowd attendance for the rain-hampered opening Test between India and New Zealand here was a heartening reminder that the traditional format still has many takers.

Barring the opening day, which was a complete washout but still saw a few hundred odd spectators flock the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, all the remaining four days saw impressive occupancy. Despite rain being around the corner all the days and India behind the eight-ball after being shot out for 46 in the first innings, spectators filled a large part of the 34,000-capacity venue.

It's unfortunate that the exact numbers couldn't be obtained as the Karnataka State Cricket Association had decided to do away with turnstiles that would have registered the footfalls, but they were anywhere between 15,000 to 20,000 on each day. 

"Hats off to the crowd, honestly," Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said after the match. "Even though it was raining, I could see everyone sitting in the stands waiting for the game to start. Very, very passionate crowd as we have seen in Bangalore over the years."

With the Test taking interesting turns on each day and the crowd lapping up every moment, it made for a spectacle which is the oxygen that red-ball cricket needs to not just survive but thrive as well. Imagine a thinly-attended rock concert or a stand-up show in an empty hall. It's the same with any sport. What if there was no one to celebrate Safaraz Khan's maiden Test ton? What if there was no collective heave of disappointment at Rishabh Pant's dismissal for 99?

"They love the game, they love the sport and they love their team. So, for them to just come here and, you know, keep waiting for the match to start, shows the kind of passion they have. And obviously, with the result not being in our favour, I could still sense that the crowd wanted us to win the game and they were right behind us, which is what you expect in India," said Rohit.

While underlining the importance of fans, Rohit emphasised that the Indian cricketers never took their crowd for granted. 

"We don't take our spectators for granted. We respect them and we understand how much of a role they play in our success as well."

Now, if only organisers across the country extend similar sentiment towards spectators, watching a match at the stadium will be worth all the money and time they spend.