The third ODI match between India and Sri Lanka at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram gained much attention due to the low turnout of the crowd. Most of the seats in the stadium, which had been packed in all the international matches held here before, were empty. The poor turnout was not because people's cricket fever had subsided or because the weather made it impossible for the people to reach the stadium. This embarrassing situation was created by the organizational mistakes made by the organizers, the government's sports department and the corporation. The organizers aimed to gain huge profit by announcing ticket prices of 1000 and 2000.

When many people complained that the ticket price was more than they could afford, the sports minister responded by saying "starving need not go and watch the ODI match." Soon, the minister found himself in the middle of the controversy. It should be assumed that the minister's controversial remark also contributed to the poor turnout for the match. Only 6201 people had bought tickets to watch the India-Sri Lanka match in the stadium which can comfortably accommodate 40,000 people. Another 10,000 people came with free passes.

The organizers, who thought that spectators would crowd up at the mention of cricket and that they could make huge profits by selling tickets at high prices, made a big mistake. The organizers calculated that they make the cricket match a huge success and reap huge profits without any advertising. No advertisement was made in the media or in the city regarding the match. Such initiatives are usually given massive publicity. The city dwellers disproved the myth people will flow to the stadium even if a cricket match is organized in Thiruvananthapuram without much publicity. Things even went to the extent of an unannounced boycott following the minister's controversial remark.

Sports fans can be very happy that India registered a resounding victory despite the absence of spectators. India defeated the Lankan team by a massive margin of 317 runs. India's strength and dominance can be recognized from the fact that they bowled out Lanka for a paltry 73 runs, who needed 391 runs to win. India won the series by winning all three matches. The Greenfield Stadium will forever remember Virat Kohli's spectacular performance as he smashed Sachin Tendulkar's record by scoring his 21st century in ODIs in India.

Kerala had to often beg the organizers to host international matches. The authorities allowed matches after lots of pressure considering the fact that they won't suffer any losses. Let's hope that Thiruvananthapuram's desire to host more international matches in the future is not dashed by the ODI match on Sunday, which was ditched by spectators. Sports enthusiasts are not the only ones who will become part of big matches. Its enthusiasm and vigour will radiate throughout society. Sports will grow in the state only if the government is at the forefront of creating such opportunities.