Good, could do better

The newly-renovated Ferozeshah Kotla passed its big test today — but probably with a B+. The mere fact that such a high-profile match c...

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The newly-renovated Ferozeshah Kotla passed its big test today — but probably with a B+. The mere fact that such a high-profile match could at all be staged in what was till recently a construction site is itself creditable, especially when even several members of the DDCA had voiced cocerns.

While the physical infrastructure did well, the main problems were spectator discomfort. The 28,000 on hand had to pass through unprecedented security and faced an acute water shortage. Here’s a checklist of how things went:

WINDOW-DRESSING: The DDCA officials made the entire stadium look presentable by covering the unfinished structures in blue. Even the steel pillars, which otherwise would have been eyesores, were neatly covered

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CLUBHOUSE: The new clubhouse with the teams’ dressing rooms looked good. The separate entry and exit was a big relief to the cricketers who in the past had been subjected to mobbing.

STANDS: If you weren’t a VVIP, you were baked. The stands to the left and right of the grandstand were devoid of even a canvas shamiana; even the Rs 11,000 tickets were under the clear blue sky

SCOREBOARD: An eyesore, manual in the electronic age. But the DDCA says an electronic board will be up once the stadium is completed. And the two official scorers sitting on chairs on the raised platform adjacent to the scoreboard also looked odd

WATER: For the first few hours the public — indeed, anyone who wasn’t a VVIP — had to do without water. The barrels of drinking water that the DDCA had brought in remained in crates as the Special Protection Group did not allow them to be brought in. Eventually, in the afternoon, DDCA president Arun Jaitley intervened

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VOLUNTEERS: Typically, too many doing too little. All over the place with their tags hanging from their necks, but disappeared when it came to helping the public.