A view of the India v Bangladesh World T20 match from the stands

Disclaimer: I write this article with a distant hope that someone, anyone with a press badge or a sports reporter, like myself, reads this.

Last night’s match wasn’t just about cricket in India. It was entertainment. The entertainment you feel only if you sit among the fans. However, last night’s crowd wasn’t just any crowd that come to support the home team. Each time MS Dhoni whips the bails off, Ashish Nehra’s hostile stare at the batsman, Jaspirt Bumrah’s inch-perfect yorkers there is a cheer from the crowd each time, in an ideal situation.

But no, this crowd understood the dynamics of the game. It was almost like witnessing a few little MS Dhoni’s in the stands. Each time the ball found the fence, whether it was from the bat of Virat Kohli or Tamim Iqbal, a crescendo of clapping engulfed the stadium. Although there were obviously a few disappointed faces each time something went the opposition’s way, the fans understood it all.

The other major factor of cricket is that it brings people together. Despite having become a villain in the cricketing universe, Lalit Modi’s comment about the fans held true. “Don’t worry about the money, the money is always there. The key in a sport such as cricket is to keep the fans. The format also doesn’t matter as long as the fans are there.”

The sight of watching human beings from the ages of 0 to 70 turn out for a cricket match and going berserk in their own crazy way. That is the definition of refreshing and insanity.

The “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, gave the Americans at the time something to hold on to. It helped them realize that belief is something of a fairytale while inducing most of the world to understand the importance of that miracles does happen from time to time. The final over of the game and the fans were on their feet. Following a boundary that crept through MS Dhoni, a fraction of the crowd left. Others scampered to cover their children’s eyes. They weren’t going to allow a five-year-old to witness India losing to Bangladesh.

“Hardik’s miracle” as people started calling it, gave people hope only after Mahmudullah went for glory instead of victory, picking out Ravindra Jadeja in the deep. Hardik Pandya had well and truly become a cult hero. It might not even be a surprise to see a statue or even a bust erected in his honor. Those who retreated bolted back into the stands in a bid to watch a miraculous conclusion. Their seats were taken, their view blurry behind thousands of spectators on their seats. For Hardik Pandya and his teammates, the win ensured their safety in the competition. However, for the fans, it was something else. They had witnessed something no other audience in Indian cricket had witnessed before – Victory from the jaws of defeat.

Many accused the Bangladeshis of throwing the match away on purpose and took to social media to state the same. Well, I rest my case. Whether it is true or not, the M Chinnaswamy stadium has indeed witnessed a spectacle.

Three wickets in the last three balls. Was this a miracle? Maybe. The sight of watching tens of thousands of people from different ages in the spectrum coming together. Was this a miracle? Hell Yes!