“Whistle Podu Army”, the official Chennai Super Kings Fan Club, which is supporting the MS Dhoni's IPL team will welcome the decision if the matches this season are played closed doors next month on wards.
"As a fan and fan group who back our Team Everywhere we go, obviously it is disappointing. But we believe if it's taken in the Interest of Nation it is the right thing to do" Prabhu Damodharan, the president of the club, which is registered as a society in Chennai, said exclusveily over telephone. "Also it is not the health of the Individual who visits the Match at stake, but fans may act as carrier of the virus and spread to elderly who would get affected. So though it's disappointing, it’s a right thing as Nation comes first," he added.
"If IPL happens in closed doors, though we will miss the live experience and atmosphere in every ground being Yellow will be missed, especially the #Yellove we have in Stadiums across, be it half or even more at most away venues. Everywhere we go, the CSK fans are spotted more and now we will get behind our teams from homes and wherever we are. We will be cheering loud in social media as always and have our wishes and Support with the Super Kings".
Interestingly, two years ago, hundreds of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans boarded the Whistle Podu Express, a special charter train from Chennai to Pune, to watch their team play its fourth match of the season.
"Absolutely, it was an experience. Chennai being a Sea of Yellow is one feeling. But be it Pune or Mumbai or Bengaluru or Kolkata , with more yellow flags is what CSK support is all about. Now this would be missed", the club president signed off.
No record
World's renowned cricket statisticians whom we spoke to, could not find an instance where a full cricket match was played closed doors before Friday's Australia-New Zealand D/N ODI in Sydney.
However, India's renowned cricket statistician Sudhir Vaidya has pointed out the instance of only one spectator was present at the ground on the last day of a Test match.
Only one spectator saw England scoring just one run to win a Test. England, after restricting Australia for 360, piled up 524 to gain a lead of 164 runs in the first innings. Australia in their second innings, in trying to wipe out the deficit, could succeed in raising the exact leeway of 164 runs, off the last ball of the fourth day, leaving England to score the required one run for the victory on the final day, i.e., 7th December, 1932 at Sydney in the first of the 5-Test series of the season 1932-33. Only one ball was bowled by Australia’s Stanley McCabe off whom England’s opener Herbert Sutcliffe scored the required one run to win the match by 10 wickets.
Only one cricket enthusiast had turned up on the Sydney Cricket Ground to see England completing the formality of winning the Test.