Despite the unseasonal rain that lashed Navi Mumbai on Sunday, thousands of cricket fans thronged the DY Patil Stadium for the Women’s World Cup final between India and South Africa. For the street-wide vendors though, the showers affected their business.
“I had priced the India jerseys at R250, but because of the rain people started bargaining. I had to sell them at Rs 200. Most people only wanted Indian jerseys. Hardly anyone bought the South Africa ones. Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues’s jerseys were in highest demand,” Mohammad Mushtaq, a vendor selling India and South Africa jerseys just outside the stadium, told mid-day.
Seema Pawar, another vendor, also mostly sold Smriti and Jemimah’s jerseys. “All the customers wanted Smriti’s No. 18 and Jemimah’s No. 5 [Jemimah] jersey,” she said.
Another vendor, Pramod More, who was selling Indian flags, also said that his business had been hit. “Business was not good as people wanted to rush inside the stadium to avoid the rain. I expected better sales since it was a World Cup final, but the weather spoiled it,” said More.
For the fans though, rain was no dampener at all. “The rain can wait, this match can’t. It’s a proud moment to see our women in a World Cup final here in our very own Navi Mumbai,” said Pratik Yadav, a Nerul resident.
Neha Pandey, a fan, who travelled all the way from Lokhandwala in Andheri, added, “I didn’t care about the weather. Watching Mandhana bat live is worth every raindrop. The energy here is absolutely electric here.”