“I think you’ve got to embrace it. The crowd’s obviously going to be very one-sided, but in sport there’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that’s the aim for us tomorrow.” Pat Cummins’ iconic statement just before the 2023 World Cup final played between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. Australia’s skipper walked the talk by removing Virat Kohli, alongside powering his country to a memorable triumph in front of a sea of blue.
More than 16 months later, the Gujarat Titans‘ bowlers followed Cummins’ golden words to the tee by leaving the buoyant Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) crowd stunned into silence. Every single time a wicket fell or when GT’s bowlers kept the opposition on a tight leash, there was pin-drop silence in the stands. A case in point being Arshad Khan removing RCB’s favourite son, Virat Kohli.
Just scratch the surface further and you will observe that two of GT’s main protagonists have some connection or the other with Bengaluru – Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
Siraj was an integral part of the RCB set-up for seven long years before the franchise released him in 2024. The paceman, who struggled to make regular incisions in the previous IPL, produced an impressive exhibition of swing and wobble-seam bowling to scythe through RCB’s batting unit. Meanwhile, Prasidh showcased his hit-the-deck skills and control to give away just 10 runs from his first three overs. He finished with 1 for 26 from four.
The narrative surrounding Prasidh doesn’t just stop with his final match-figures. His cricketing journey is rooted in the hustle and bustle of the Bengaluru city. When he was very young, his uncle took him to the Mount Joy club. When he arrived at that club, the promising cricketer had just one wish: to try his hand at fast bowling. On the first day of the camp, he showed enough belief to ask for a new ball from the secretary of the club, BK Ravi. Ravi later told this writer: “He showed the ball, that means you have given me the old ball, ‘I am a fast bowler, I want a new ball.’ He always used to say, ‘I want to be a fast bowler.'”
However, the world of franchise sports is such that players could end up representing cities to which they don’t have much of a connection. Prasidh, after stints with Kolkata and Rajasthan, is now with Gujarat, around 1600 km away from Bengaluru.
Returning to the adoring fans of RCB, they didn’t have much to cheer about. Yes, there was an air of excitement when a few opportunities went begging. The fans also roared in delight when Liam Livingstone and Tim David cracked meaty blows. Just that they were far and few between as RCB hurtled to their first loss of the season.
Despite RCB’s campaign getting temporarily derailed by Siraj, Prasidh, Arshad, Sai Kishore and Jos Buttler, the enduring memory from the game was the sheer passion of their evergreen fans. Before the game, all that one could notice was an army of RCB supporters wearing the customary red jerseys. One fine day, you hope that the legions of RCB fans will have their moment in the sun, with their beloved team and Kohli getting the chance to lift the coveted IPL trophy.