Adelaide, Feb 15: Adelaide Oval was ‘under virtual siege’ as Indian fans took complete control of the city outnumbering their Pakistani counterparts in the marquee clash between the arch-rivals in the cricket World Cup Sunday.
While the number of Indian fans descending in the coastal town swelled close to 25,000, the locals made the number increase to 30,000 at the 53,500 capacity stadium.
The green jerseys of the Pakistani fans looked like dots in an ‘Ocean of Blue’ with ‘Sir Donald Bradman Pavilion’ stand completely dominated by the Indians.
It was party time for all Indian fans as they gathered at the famous Hindley Street in heart of the city on the eve of the high-voltage clash. The local ‘Fringe Festival’ and the colourful Indians made it a night to remember as the crowd celebrated late into Saturday night.
It was no different Sunday morning as one entered the ‘War Memorial Drive’ in-front of the Adelaide Oval. You could mistake it for Eden Gardens or Wankhede Stadium as Indian fans sang the hit Bollywood song ‘Dil diya hain jaan bhi denge aye watan tere liye’.
From popular songs to India’s sports anthem ‘Chak De India’ came blaring out of loudspeakers everywhere. But the heartening fact was the bonhomie between the fans as they greeted each other with open arms and were seen gleefully, clicking away selfies, even as ‘Vande Mataram’ overpowered the ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ chants.
PTI