For the cricket-crazy fans from the twin cities, perhaps, like across the country, Diwali seemed to have come a day earlier thanks to the fireworks by ‘King’ Kohli at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia on Saturday.
And, Kohli’s stunning, match-winning knock was all the more sweeter for them as it helped India beat Pakistan in India’s T-20 World Cup opener to virtually trigger off a wave of celebrations and expectations too.
At many busy stretches in the city, including Ameerpet, fans took out rallies to celebrate what the critics rated as one of the finest comeback-wins for India in recent memory and more so against the traditional rivals.
Bursting of crackers on the streets for once gave an impression as if India had just won the World Cup itself! But, such is the joy the fans derive whenever India beats Pakistan and that too in a showpiece of T-20 format.
It was pure joy not just for the 90,000-odd fans who thronged the MCG to watch today’s match but for all those who are far away from ‘Down Under’.
For some, like G. Venkatesh, who along with his friends B. Shiva Prasad, Thanna, Narender, N. Prabhakar Reddy, are leaving for Australia next Sunday to watch the two semi-finals and the final at Melbourne on November 14.
“Honestly, we couldn’t have expected a better start than today’s magnificent win. We are all going to Australia with the hope of seeing India win the Cup,” said Venkatesh, who played in the HCA Leagues for Crown Cricket Club.
Clearly, the mood with the fans hitting the streets waving the tri-colour flags suggests the Festival of Lights was on a day before!
