“The atmosphere of a place is like a mirror, reflecting the emotions and energy of those present.”

Amidst the serenity of the snow clad Dhauladhar ranges of Himalaya, the atmosphere at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) ground at Dharamshala was anything but calm.

The picturesque Dharamshala stadium

It was electric. Mind you, this wasn’t a T20 carnival where sixes are hit at the drop of a hat, but it was good old Test match cricket. The key ingredient of this electric atmosphere were the fans – English men and women with their hats on who had travelled across seas to be here, Indian who probably clubbed watching a Test along with a vacation to the hills and last but not the least the locals of Kangra district. The fans were led by the Barmy Army who didn’t allow the failure of Bazball (as the aggressive strategy deployed by the England cricket team is called) dampen their spirits. And then there was the Bharat Army, followed by a newly formed group named as the Team India’s 12th Man Army.

Well, all these armies ensured that the josh (enthusiasm) remained high throughout (with or without the Simba beer which was being served in the hospitality lounges). People across age groups seemed to be enjoying the action in the middle. And if that was getting boring, the Himalayas were there for rescue, like Rohit had said, “The view is so spectacular from the ground, so if there’s any kind of pressure we will just turn to the mountains, and everything will be fine.” Apart from the singing and dancing, there were few who were busy solving crossword puzzles and others who wanted to paint the picture of this beautiful stadium with a Test match going on in the middle. Along with the usual sellers of tea and snacks, there was an Englishman selling a magazine what he called as fanzine titled – Corridor of Uncertainty. There seemed to be no shortage of ways in which the fans were keeping them entertained.

But be it Bazball, presence of fan groups or the spectacular surroundings, it was a pleasant change for those who are used to empty and quiet cricket stadiums for Test matches in India. Now we don’t know if the people present here were purists and if they preferred the oldest format of the game over the T20s, but they did seem to enjoy hits as much as they applauded a solid defense. There was a good mix of fun and light banters. Ben Stokes dismissal in the second innings had Team India’s 12th Man Army sing ‘Bye Bye Bazball’. Well, few were not happy when Ravichandran Ashwin wasn’t brought on to bowl even though he was just one wicket shy of becoming the only bowler in the history of cricket to take 10-wickets in their centenary Test. Nevertheless, all was well as India won the Test comfortably.

Most of the fans stayed on and cheered the team long after the last English wicket had been taken. They left only after the police personnel asked them to vacate the stadium. But with them they had taken memories to cherish. 

Even though the match ended in two and a half days as it is said, “A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever.”