NEW DELHI, Dec 23: He must be the only man who has been cheered by a thousand throats on entering Tihar Jail. But then it is not everyday that the inmates get to see and play with a cricketing legend like Kapil Dev. An hour behind time, he made amends by being on his best behaviour, shaking hands and smiling a lot. Then he went on to do what he is better at -- lofting the ball for a six which making the crowd go hysterical with delight.

Before Kapil Dev arrived, the cricket finals of the annual winter games in Tihar saw big hitting and good bowling. But, needless to say, when Kapil strolled in, decibel levels rose alarmingly. Policemen and inmates mobbed the man and but for his red sweater, he would have been hard to spot.

It took a good five minutes for the policemen to snap out of their idolising stance and get the inmates back in line. Everybody wanted Kapil to bat, but nobody thought of moving away to give him some batting space. It took some running around on the part of senior officials to get the star-struck people off the field.

But not everyone seemed interested in the unofficial national game of the country. Some inmates were more eager to catch up on the latest goings-on. A group of foreign inmates seemed particularly excited to see each other. They paid no attention to the volley of fours and sixes, talking instead of the way their cases were progressing. They had plenty to grumble about, including the fact that "in all of Delhi, there was just one FM channel". Once they had their fill of complaining, they sat back on the lawns and concentrated on the match.

Meanwhile, the actual match sailed along at a good pace. Set a target of 144 runs by Central Jail 3 team, to be scored in 20 overs, Central Jail 2 opening pair of Jyot Singh and Arun Tomar kept the scoreboard ticking in the first five overs, before Singh was caught. Central Jail 2 finally won the match by five wickets.

"Such events develop sportsmanship and a spirit of camaraderie. Also, it keeps their minds busy," said I-G Prisons R S Gupta.

In the meantime, people began queuing up with paper and pen in hand, waiting patiently for the former Indian captain to give them his autograph. They did not seem to mind the long wait.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.