Sehwag, Irfan and the Delhi Metro

What happens when recognisable faces like Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Umesh Yadav decide to go for a ride on the Delhi Metro? Chaos. The cricketers had been invited for a short ride by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as part of a tie-up with IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils to raise awareness among commuters about making proper use of the public transport system. But a sighting of international cricketers in public generally descends into confusion and disorder in India. So it did at the INA metro station, as people pushed around for a closer view of the players, who made a quick exit a couple of stops later at the Udyog Bhawan station.

"The idea was to raise awareness about keeping the trains and platforms clean, not obstructing train doors and standing behind the yellow line [on platforms]. But there was utter chaos," a metro official told DNA.

As part of the tie-up with Delhi Metro, Sehwag and other Daredevils players will also feature in audio and video awareness messages to be played at stations. One wonders if that would lead to better commuting habits among metro users. At least there won't be any chaos.