A 'vanity affair' at Pune stadium

At most stadiums across the country, there are separate washrooms and enclosures for television commentators and scribes, but in Pune, there is no such facility.

To ensure that the commentators, who are former international cricketers, do not face any problem, the air-conditioned vans are brought in as make-shift changing rooms.

As one walks into the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here, two vanity vans are hard to miss near the media enclosure. Vanity vans are rare sightings at cricket venues.  However, during international and IPL matches at this stadium, for sports journalists and commentators, spotting a vanity van is not a new thing.

At most stadiums across the country, there are separate washrooms and enclosures for television commentators and scribes, but in Pune, there is no such facility.

And to ensure that the commentators, who are former international cricketers, do not face any problems, the air-conditioned vans are brought in as make-shift changing rooms every time there is an international or IPL fixture.

“It has been there since the beginning (the stadium was inaugurated in April, 2012). Since there are no separate facilities for the commentators, they use the vanity vans. Otherwise, they will either have to use the common washroom or walk up to the old press box, which is on the other side of the ground,” one of the MCA officials said.