NASSAU COUNTY (New York): Even the most die-hard fan of cricket won’t spend $6000 (roughly rupees 5 lakh) to watch just one over of India-Pakistan match. But for some Indians who flew from all corners of the US for the Sunday match, game was a key but not the only reason to be present in the stadium.
Ashish Agarwal, a marketing executive with an insurance tech startup, had flown in from Louisville, Kentucky, along with his two sons, Adit and Arav.He had spent almost $1,600 (roughly Rupees 1.32 lakh) each for the tickets, purchased from the ticket sales company Vivid Seats.
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“We are hoping that it doesn’t get rained out,” he said, as the three stood in a long line in front of a food stall during the rain break. Rain had interrupted the game after one over of Indian innings.
Agarwal, whose extended family lives in Mumbai, had only watched one cricket match live in the United States, a college match, during the more than two decades he has lived in the US.
For Adit, a student at Indiana University, and Arav, a high schooler, both born in the US, it was their first cricket experience. “I don’t know much about cricket, I am here for the overall experience,” said Adit, who played American football in school.
“I think, for these kids, it is more about … being part of the Indian community and Indian culture,” Agarwal said. “It is as much a sporting event as cultural, and let the best team win today. That’s what I told some of my Pakistani friends.”
Like the Agarwals, a significant portion of the crowd was there for the cultural connection and the experience.
New Jersey businessman Ramesh Parikh came to watch the match with his son Deep. Growing up in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Parikh’s cricketing idols were former Indian stars Polly Umrigar and Chandu Borde. After moving to the United States in 1969, he had stopped following the game he loved. The father and son were there to celebrate the elder Parikh’s 78th birthday, which falls on June 10, the day after the match.
Business executives consisted of another major section of the crowd. One reason tickets were prohibitively expensive, even for an average resident of the world’s largest economy (with a per capita income of more than $85,000), was the rush from companies to scoop them up. Since New York is a global corporate hub, a strong presence of business executives was expected.
Businesses, particularly those with ties to India, viewed the match as a chance to entertain their clients and guests. One such company was the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
“We had more than 50 guests and business associates from around the world join us for the event,” said Prakash Mehta, a partner at the firm, who mainly focuses on investment management.
Mehta, a member of the board of directors of the U.S.-India Business Council, said that his firm hosted parties for clients and guests in Manhattan on two successive nights prior to the match.
The two other organizations with a big presence in the stands and boxes were Washington Freedom, a Major League Cricket team owned by Indian American businessman Sanjay Govil, and Indiaspora, the influential diaspora network founded by San Francisco investor MR Rangaswami.
Notably, the Indiaspora group arrived at the stadium from Manhattan on two buses adorned with the organization’s logo. Among the prominent passengers was former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, proudly wearing an India jersey.
(Asif Ismail is publisher of The American Bazaar and DesiMax)
