Five things that lifted me on a spirit-sapping evening at Sahara Stadium, Pune

4. The surreal beauty of the stadium

Even during the daytime, the shiny new stadium smack in the middle of nowhere, stands out like a piece of porcelain would, if kept in an uncouth roadside tea-stall. The shabby, narrow lanes leading up to the stadium, the crass makeshift parking lots outside it, belie the well-maintained stands, the glamorous super stands and the lush green ground that one would find within. But, once the angry red sun had set, taking away with it the sweltering heat that scorched everyone alike, that’s when the Pune’s new stadium shone like the jewel it is. Under the floodlights, set up by the cool westerly breeze, a thin veil of mist had settled down on the stadium. Words cannot begin to describe the surreal sight that was to be beheld from atop the stands – it looked like a giant holographic projection of some greater being’s dream.