Cricket World Cup 2015: When blue bled all over Adelaide
It was a packed Adelaide Oval. But blue far outnumbered the green brigade to start with. And the end was nothing less than a blue invasion when India yet again trumped Pakistan in a world cup encounter making it six to nothing. In the stands it was 3:1 in favour of India and every chant of Pakistan zindabad was countered by loud chants of "Ganapati Bappa Moriya". To actually see a sub-continental takeover of Adelaide, a relatively peaceful and sleepy city at best, was the most amazing sight of all.
Even the locals were a tad surprised to see the massive number of cricket fans who made it to the Adelaide Oval. The hotels were all overbooked and locals opened their guest rooms to make a quick buck. The crowd and media presence was such that the local police who were initially trying to enforce every possible rule just raised their hands and gave up after a while. It was time to step back and enjoy. Soak in history that was unfolding before their eyes.
The number of news television crews opposite the Oval was a first and Adelaide, as mentioned by a number of desis living here, had seen nothing of the sort ever before. What was funny was that security personnel were soon seen clicking pictures for their albums of the many media crews than trying to tell them that they weren't allowed to shoot from particular locations. And at the end of the game, Adelaide airport was the place to be. Three Bollywood films organised for the night with plenty of beanbags to lie down and relax, it was a makeshift hotel for the thousands who did not have a place to pass the night. Shops were all open and some fans in their exuberance managed to organize dozens of samosas to distribute to their desi brethren at the airport. The world cup, as far as the Indians are concerned, is already in the bag. All the three months of misery has been redeemed and the cricket industry back home will now just fly in the next few weeks.
Just as Pakistan was losing one wicket after another, the crowd was a spectacular sight. Surrounded by blue from both sides, the green brigade had turned soundless. History, as far as they were concerned, was repeating itself and in the most hurtful manner.
Can Pakistan ever beat India in a World Cup encounter? Or will the dream of breaking the jinx continue to haunt Misbah and Afridi as they move to the twilight of their careers? And what about Mahendra Singh Dhoni and of course Virat Kohli? Kohli by doing a Sachin has proved that the baton has indeed passed and to the right person as far as one day cricket is concerned. As I finish this piece, downtown Adelaide is all blue. Wave after wave singing "Ganapati Bappa Moriya" and "Chak de India". The dream is alive. Long live the dream.