Dubai Diary: Big match tickets a windfall for lucky blue-collar workers

The talk of the town among Indian sub-continent expats is shifting toward the India-Pakistan game of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday, with Mohammed Rizwan’s men stepping on Dubai soil on Thursday evening. The occasional request for tickets, from hotel staff to cab driver, sends the loud and clear message that the match is a sellout, and price tags are too high for many.

This is where a local businessman has decided to chip in, as part of the company's CSR (corporate social responsibility) activity, to distribute 100 tickets of the big game free to his blue-collar workers, the selection being made through draw of lots. Danube Group, a Dubai-based real estate and home furnishings company, will be handing out 400 tickets in all for India’s three group games as well as the first semi-final on 2 March.  

This is the second time the company has taken such an initiative for its workers while on Sunday, the management will be hosting a joint screening for fans in both India and Pakistan jerseys to foster camaraderie and turn the encounter into just another cricket match.

“Cricket is an emotion that unites people across borders. Many of our blue-collar workers are devoted cricket fans but the high ticket prices and overwhelming demand make attending a live match a distant dream for them. Watching their cricketing idols live in action will be an unforgettable experience,’’ group vice-chairman Anis Sajan said.

In a statement, Sajan, an avid cricket buff himself, said: “I wish I could have sent my entire team but I was able to manage only 400. This was the maximum I could accommodate.”

Sunny: Never a dull moment

Meanwhile, there seems to be never a dull moment for Sunil Gavaskar, the seniormost member of the commentary team in Dubai at the ripe old age of 75. After wielding the microphone for India’s opening game until late evening against Bangladesh, the little master took an early morning flight to Kasaragod in Kerala where a road is being named after him on Friday.

‘’I am taking an early morning flight to Mangalore and then travelling to Kasaragod. The Kasargod Muncipality has organised a function as part of the road-naming ceremony in my honour. I will return on time for the India-Pakistan game,’’ Gavaskar said in an informal chat during a commentary break on Thursday.

The planned 1860-m road in Vidyasagar, for which Gavaskar will be laying a plaque, will be an addition to the roads already named after him in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, Wellington in New Zealand and an open stadium in the US. Incidentally, this will be the second road named after a legendary Indian cricketer in Kasaragod as Anil Kumble had a road named after him in Kumbla Grama Panchayat in 2010.