All Tricity eyes now on Dhaka

For the younger lot,the World Cup means an extra source of fun but the examinations looming large are kill-joys. Most students,however,have found a way to make their parents happy — by studying in advance. “I knew my mom wouldn’t allow me to watch the matches since our exams are starting from March. So I promised that I would watch only the important matches and prepared for the exams early on. And since my parents too are cricket lovers,they have promised me that they would take me to the stadium if India reach the semi-final stage. So I hope India qualify for the semis,” said class X student Kulwinder Singh.

The hype to the already building World Cup fever had began when a 25-ft long cricket bat was installed at the Sector 17 Plaza for fans to send their wishes and messages to the Indian team. And when the demand for Indian team jerseys increased,the leading merchandise brands cashed in on the opportunity.

“Keeping the World Cup in mind,we have T-shirts with cricket terminologies,caps,bats,logos apart from the Indian team jerseys. It looks like people are upbeat about the event since we sell around four-five pairs of Indian team jerseys and trousers every day,especially to NRIs who purchase 10-12 pairs to meet the demands of their family members. With matches scheduled to be held at the PCA stadium,we expect sales to increase in the coming days,” said Rakesh Kumar,store manager with Nike,the kit sponsors for the Indian team.

Interestingly,the sales of cricket bats has not picked up,much to the dismay of sports shops across the Tricity. “There is a big slump in sales of cricket bats,which is unusual as the World Cup is about to begin. During the 1987 World Cup,we sold all the bats as there was so much demand from the people. The situation is totally reverse here,” shared Arun Sharma of Taniya Sports in Sector 44.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled to kick off immediately after the World Cup,the grip of cricket fever on the city is sure to stay on for another three months.