Orange army comes out in full force for Team Hyderabad’s campaign-opener

The Orange Army was a little sceptical as they patiently waited in long queues to get inside the Rajeev Gandhi International Cricket Stadium and cheer for the home team in its campaign-opener against Team Rajasthan on Monday. Talks on absence of David Warner, newly-appointed captain, Kane Williamson’s leadership and the overall balance of the team ruled most discussions as they shuffled towards the entrance arming themselves with flags, posters, and banners from the vendors lined-up along the way.

But once, the umpires said ‘play’ and the match began, all of that were put to rest; thanks to some top-notch performances by the ‘men in orange’. And the stadium roared with deafening cheers of ‘Go Hyderabad’ and ‘gunthalakidi gula gula gula hooo haa hoooo haaaa’ among others. The orange hue of the stands got brighter with each falling wicket as Team Rajasthan bundled up for a modest 125, batting first under the lights.

Ramesh and Amulya R, sitting in the southeast pavilion, broke into loud cheers as Team Hyderabad’s openers — Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha — walked out to begin the chase. “This chase is going to be a cake walk if they don’t do anything silly,” cautioned Ramesh as Saha took guard for the first delivery. Though Saha was soon back in the pavilion, Shikhar and Kane’s brutal assault thereafter put all remaining doubts among the crowd to rest. Shikhar, in particular, was severer of the both and was unstoppable as he hit the white ball to all corners of the venue, finishing with an unbeaten 77 of 57 balls.
The noise inside the stadium reached a crescendo as Shikhar hit the winning runs and began Team Hyderabad’s campaign in the 2018 IPL on a winning note. “The balance of the team looks fantastic. I just hope they keep it going as this is a really long tournament and anything can happen,” said 58-year-old Murali Rao, a loyal Orange soldier.