07-07-2025
Clamour for Lord's tickets as Gill & Co. crushes England in Edgbaston
Kolkata: The Indian team's victory at Edgbaston on Sunday fuelled a rush among Kolkata travellers in England and city cricket fans to catch the Lord's Test from July 10. Travel agents say they have been receiving calls for a last-minute trip, while those already in the UK are altering their travel plans to accommodate a visit to London during the match.
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As Shubhman Gill and his team pulled off a spectacular win against England, levelling the series 1-1, Kolkata cricket fan Mahesh Punjabi and his group of 11 friends started regrouping to arrange a quick trip to England. "We were supposed to travel to the UK last week to watch Wimbledon, but it got cancelled. Initially, we were not interested in the India-England series since the Men in Blue were without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and we believed there wouldn't be a real contest.
But the way Gill's young team outplayed England made us rethink. It could be difficult, but we are still planning a dash to Lord's by July 10-11," said Punjabi.
Punjabi has been to Australia, Dubai, England, the US, West Indies, and South Africa to watch the Men in Blue in action with his friends, who call themselves 'The 12th Man'. Gill's record-breaking knocks and Akash Deep's Sunday heroics reignited interest in the series, which could lead many, now in England for vacation and to visit family and friends, to try and grab a Lord's ticket, said Manav Soni of the Travel Agents Association of India.
Kolkata student Vikram Tejwani, who studies in Scotland, has decided to travel to England after India's stellar performance in the second Test. "I have planned to watch the Lord's Test from the stands with my friends," he said.
On the website Viagogo, the price of a Lord's Test ticket ranges between Rs 23,421 and Rs 28,443. The site is still offering 261 tickets for the first day. The win sparked off a demand for Lord's Test tickets among fans, especially those who are already in England, said Anil Punjabi, committee member of the Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI).
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"The interest level has suddenly gone up after India showed that they are good enough to win the series.
Watching a match at Lord's is always the perfect icing on a London visit, especially for cricket lovers. We have started receiving requests for tickets from those who travelled through my agency," said Punjabi.
Thousands from Kolkata travel to England for vacation and to visit family and friends during May-June, said Soni. "At least a thousand have travelled to watch the Test matches. The Lord's Test is always a big attraction, and we have been receiving requests for tickets. Now, with India staging a comeback, those already in the UK are altering plans to accommodate a trip to London and bet at the Lord's. This summer will be a big Indian one in England, and if the team plays well, there will be late travellers, too," said Soni.
