From half past two in the afternoon to ten in the evening on Sunday, over 90 thousand people filled the cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat, to follow the World Cup final between India and Australia. The crowd was almost entirely Indian, dressed en masse in blue like the team on the pitch (and like the Ashoka Chakra, the 24-spoked wheel at the center of the Indian flag) and confident in being able to celebrate a victory achieved for the last time twelve years ago, still at home, but in Mumbai.
The arrival of Indian fans at the stadium (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
The streets of Ahmedabad, Sunday (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
This confidence was given by the fact that, a month and a half ago, India had started the tournament as big favorites and then had won all ten matches played before the final. Australia was also considered among the favourites, and historically is one of the great cricket national teams, but on its debut it was beaten by India. For Sunday’s final, the host country was also counting on the support and the possible advantage, large or small, of playing in front of almost 100 thousand supporters, all on its side.
Australian David Warner and the packed stands of the Narendra Modi stadium (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar)
The match stopped a significant part of the country for more than half a day, given that cricket is the national sport and has very high levels of interest and participation among the Indian population. A victory would also be celebrated for days, as had happened twelve years ago. But for India the match went badly from the start.
A family from Guwahati follows the match from their backyard (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
La partita view from the streets of Mumbai (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
A girl follows the final during the traditional bath in the Yamuna river for the Chhath Puja festival in Prayagraj (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Fishermen from Prayagraj watch the final from their smartphones (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Australia managed to play its best match of the tournament in the final, unlike India, who despite a timid attempt at a comeback midway through the match, and despite yet another great performance from their beloved captain, Virat Kohli, did not she managed to finish the tournament undefeated. For some commentators, the great support and anticipation of these days have had the opposite effect, putting particular pressure on the players, many of whom were seen rather stuck on the pitch.
The end of the match arrived slowly, after sunset, amid the silence of over 90 thousand spectators broken by the screams of the players and the few Australian fans who arrived in Ahmedabad and were intent on celebrating an unexpected result that has already entered the country’s sporting history. “The silence of 92,453 people can be something exceptional” wrote the English correspondent of Guardian ad Ahmedabad.
The concern of Indian fans in Ahmedabad (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar)
Australian players celebrate on the pitch (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Indian captain Virat Kohli after the match (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Australian captain Pat Cummins (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
2023-11-20 10:09:19
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