Mihir Vasavda at Asian Games: From ‘Mandhana, the goddess’ to ‘cricket, what’s that?’, India’s gold in front of curious Chinese fans | Asian-games News

In a far-flung corner of Hangzhou, as India skittled out Sri Lanka and defended a low target to secure a horic Asian Games gold, a few hundred onlookers had one only question on their lips: ‘What’s cricket?’They counted the ‘points’ – ‘1 point, 4 points, 6 points…’ – and the number of ‘outs’. They cheered the big shots and dismissals. Beyond the runs and the wickets, though, the majority-Chinese spectators – most of them students and retirees – melted under the hot sun at the Pingfeng Cricket Ground with equal measure of awe and bewilderment.
“I just know that India and Pakan are strong,” says Cao Xing Zu, 63. “I don’t understand the rules and all this while, I have been sitting here and wondering, what is this sport?”
The man giving thumbs up: Cao Xing Zu, 63, who was watching cricket for the first time. (PC: Mihir Vasavda)
Master of most sports but a nobody in cricket, the Asian Games is China’s first big brush with the sport.
There were less than a thousand spectators in the stands as Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. defeated Sri Lanka 19 runs in a low-scoring thriller to clinch India’s first Asiad gold in cricket. Over the next seven days, the men’s team will aspire to do the same.
Coached VVS Laxman and led Ruturaj Gaikwad, the players who entertain tens of thousands in giant arenas around the world will be in action at a ground that’s smaller than most traditional cricket venues in front of sparse crowds.
The cricket ground, the biggest facility in China for the sport, is unlike any other stadium at the Hangzhou Games. While gleaming structures that are architectural marvels have been raised for several sports at a cost of millions of dollars, this one lies in nature’s lap inside a technology University.
On its east end, a vast net – displaced from four big cranes – ensures the ball doesn’t get lost in the dense trees or land dangerously on the adjoining athletics track, where some of China’s most promising young athletes train every morning and evening.
On the opposite side is an imposing building that houses the University’s library and next to it flows the Shangbu River.
A modest venue with a maximum capacity of just 1,347, tickets for cricket are among the cheapest at the Games. At 50 Yuan or roughly Rs 575, they cost half of athletics and a fraction of the 400 Yuan for e-sports. And yet, there were empty seats for the gold medal match between the South Asian rivals.
Those who made it were there either out of curiosity or accidentally. “My son bought me these tickets so I could experience the Asian Games. I didn’t know it was for cricket,” says Cao Xing Zu. “It’s the first time I am watching the game. It’s complicated but interesting.”
Jin En Ping, a 26-year-old restaurant manager, spent his Monday afternoon watching cricket to ‘see if India were actually as strong as everyone says they are’.
The man in light blue shirt: Jin En Ping, 26 year old restaurant manager. (PC: Mihir Vasavda)
“Before the Asian Games, I hadn’t heard about the sport but it’s the final and India was playing, so I came,” he says. “I understand the difference between each point – 1 and 4 and 6 points, for instance. But it’s sort of like baseball as it’s also a sport that requires a lot of stamina and running.”
Ping didn’t go home disappointed. After the heartbreak of losing in the final of the Commonwealth Games last year, India at last finished on the top of the podium in what was Harmanpreet’s 100th game as the T20I captain.
Defending a modest total of 117, Titas Sadhu’s deadly first spell – where she picked three wickets – set India on course to record a famous win. Sri Lanka’s middle order batted resolutely to put India under pressure and momentarily, the match looked headed for a thrilling finale. But India choked them for runs, forced the batters to take risks and eventually sealed the match.
the time the match reached its endgame, most of the spectators had already left.
Among the handful who stayed back were a bunch of Gujarati traders who drove from near Yiwu, and a small Chinese cricket-crazy community that travelled thousands of kilometres from Beijing to ‘watch their favourite team play.’Most Read
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“Oh, I am a big India fan!” Junyu Wei, 25, exclaims. “I have been since 2019 when I first saw the sport on TV. It was a World Cup match and I instantly fell in love with the Indian team for their passion and the way they played.”
The man in India jersey: A gujarati trader from Yiwu, who has driven down for every India match. (PC Mihir Vasavda)
Wei stayed back until long after the medal ceremony. One one, as the cricketers stepped onto the podium and collected the medals, Wei held aloft a placard in the stands. “Mandhana the Goddess,” it declared.

In a remote corner of a country where few understand cricket, the Indian team found its newest fan.