Fans in Pune brave intense heat without water, roof

Not long after it came to be known that Pune would host the second Test between India and New Zealand, Bhavesh Patil hatched a plan to attend.

"Watching my life's first Test match today", his voice rang out like a clarion call, as if swelled with pride, while brother Sachin kept busy raising the tricolour flag high each time India's Washington Sundar brought an end to Kiwis' stay at the crease.

"But not the kind of first experience I wanted," Bhavesh quickly added, endlessly flapping his hands near his face to beat the sweltering October heat. "A middle-aged man, probably in his 40s, nearly collapsed due to the heat. The least the stadium men (officials) could do in this heat was to give us access to free water. Anybody would fall ill, we are humans, not machines."

"We bought four bottles at 150 Rs each. They (vendors) knew people will buy those in bulk, hence they were overpriced. What could we have done, we were helpless. Complete mismanagement by the MCA stadium officials. As fans, we will now think twice before coming here," a visibly irate Sachin remarked.

Unlike the Patil brothers, the Mehrotras turned their back on the promise of access to free water and left for home shortly during the lunch break.

"I could not stand the heat, on top of that, they did not give us access to free water as they promised earlier. My brother is 60 plus, and the situation worried me. I wanted to leave earlier, but he (brother) insisted that we stay till the lunch session and so we did," said Swapnil. "We heard Mr Pisal (Kamlesh Pisal, MCA Secretary) apologised later and assured everyone that this would not happen again."

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Asked whether he would be back on Friday for the second day of the Test match, Swapnil shot back a swift 'no' without hesitation.

"Our sincere apologies to all the fans for the inconvenience caused. We will ensure things will be alright going forward. We have already addressed the water issue," Pisal later told the media as quoted by PTI. "This time we (have) decided to provide the spectators with chilled drinking water and there were some sort of logistical issues as some of the stalls ran out of water during the lunch break owing to heavy rush. It took us 15 to 20 minutes to refill the water containers and since it was delayed, we decided to offer them free bottled water."

Perched on the outskirts of the city, the MCA stadium, that boasts a grand capacity of nearly 43,000 seats, felt underwhelming with less than 20,000 in attendance. With over half the crowd braving the sweltering sun and oppressive humidity since the toss, the lack of a roof became a test of who could survive the longest. With only six stands being equipped with roofs, the majority of attendees on Thursday were left at the mercy of the blazing sun.

Hundreds of parched fans flocked to the North Stand in search of water but in vain. As the crowd began getting increasingly restless, police intervention was summoned to manage the burgeoning throng.

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While many reported symptoms of dehydration and dizziness, a few others even required attention at the first-aid kiosk.

With temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celsius, one would expect better planning for such an event, especially in a city known for its summer heat. Instead, it felt like spectators were part of some twisted endurance test, where the prize was merely the chance to watch cricket while risking heatstroke.

"If fans cannot avail a basic necessity like water, then why shoulder the burden of hosting an important match like this? The BCCI should get involved. We deserve better. No amount of apologies can undo the challenges we faced as fans today. Why should I go anymore? Is it my fault? No, it's theirs. We paid for our tickets, and they are robbing us of the right to enjoy the game peacefully. This should not go unnoticed," Sachin added.

Yet, amid the discomfort, the spirit of the game persisted. Despite their trials, they remained hopeful, cheering for India with a fervour that could even rival the sun's intensity.