Cricket fever keep people indoors in Mysuru

Mysuru cricket fever grips city as fans stay home to watch World Cup Final. Streets deserted, daily chores done early, flags waved near palace & temple. Rally of youth flagged off by Congress leader Somashekar. Giant LCD TVs installed at Chamundi Vihar Stadium & other districts. Hotels & resorts lure people to watch match with friends.

The final of the World Cup Cricket played at Ahmedabad on Sunday had people of Mysuru glued to their television sets and the streets appeared deserted.

The build-up in the days leading to the final had resulted in the cricket fever gripping the people as a majority of them stayed at home and watched the proceedings on tv.

Though the streets and public places tend to be less crowded on Sundays, it was more so on the day of the big match with a majority of them completing their daily chores including shopping during the first half of the day. Though railway station and the bus stand appeared crowded at noon, the residential areas and market places had thinner crowd.

In a bid to shore up the cricket fever fans were seen waving flags near the palace and the Kote Anjaneyaswamy temple in the morning. Congress leader and former MLA M.K. Somashekar flagged off a tally of youth who went around the city on two-wheelers.

Scores of youngsters took part in the rally and Mr. Somashekar recalled India’s performance leading to the final and said that it had been spectacular by any means. The rallyists went around the main thorough fares of the city.

The Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports had installed a giant LCD TV at Chamundi Vihar Stadium where a large number of youngsters and cricket fans had gathered to watch the proceedings. Similar arrangements were made in other districts as well including at Kodagu, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar. Cashing in on the cricket fever were hotels and resorts where giant LCD screens were installed to lure people to watch the match in the company of friends.