London: It was nothing but cricket madness at it’s peak at The Oval on Sunday. From as early as 8am, India and Pakistan fans started flocking to the stadium for the ICC Champions Trophy. Many fans hired open double-decker buses and travelled in it waving their country’s flags.
Sunday being a Father’s Day, a fan who travelled with me said: “It is not the mother of all cricket battles but the father of all cricket battles today.” A group of Punjabis (people who hail from the north Indian state of Punjab) were with me in the underground train, all carrying banners and flags.
Due to the recent terror attacks, policemen kept a strict watch on all commuters coming out of the Oval underground station but when an ocean of fans came out, they quickly moved away.
Fans were seen screaming and dancing all the way. A group of Indian fans calling themselves the ‘Bharat Army’ literally marched their way into the stadium — shouting slogans in support of their country.
Pakistan fans sang ‘Dil Dil Pakistan,’ an all-time favourite number from Junaid Jamshed, all the way. Some of the placards that people carried were hilarious. Indian fans transformed Virat Kohli into Baahubali, hero of the Indian movie by the same name which was a huge box office hit. A fan changed ‘ICC’ into Indians Care Cricket on his T-shirt.
Many Indians carried the banner of the Champions Trophy saying “We won’t give the Trophy back”.
Responding to this, some placards with Pakistan fans said: “Champions trophy is for Pakistan who played like champions after defeat.”
Many fans hoped to get tickets at the last moment even though the board outside the ticket booth said ‘Sold out’.
They were hoping for someone to cancel their ticket, which the organisers normally put up for sale.
Tickets in the black market were being sold at ten times the cost right outside the Oval where there is a board that warns people from buying ticket from touts.
Being an unusually hot day, people were all drenched in sweat.
“It is as hot as Karachi now,” remarked a Pakistan journalist who walked into the press box with me.
The Oval Press box can accommodate only about 70 journalists, henced the ICC managed to meet the heavy demand by providing seats in the stands. Many English journalists wanting to soak in the sun preferred the outdoor seats.
Many Indian channel DJs were seen dressed in Team India’s outfit, and it was difficult to distinguish them from fans.
From the start, fans waved their flags non stop and sang songs praising their country. If in Edgbaston, fans used flags as blankets from the cold weather, they used it to save them from the heat to watch the ‘hottest’ final of the Champions Trophy.
