As India take over Pakistan in the finals of the first World Twenty 20 in Johannesburg on Monday, it is a dream come true for the cricket lovers all over the world.

Whenever these two nations have met, there were sparks on the field and resultant fire in the gallery. But rarely in a World cup have these arch rivals met each other, and whenever this happened, enthusiasm had gone beyond limits and India has been successful in getting through the pressure.

The much awaited moment has come at last. Both the teams with very little experience of the shortest version of the game, has come par odds to take on each other in the final of the Twenty 20 World Cup setting the fans off foot. The whole nation is booming with expectation and so is Mangalore.

Preparations

The preparations for watching the final started right when the Indians won the semifinals. Fans who had watched the match through the night are overwhelmed and are happy that the match starts only after they retire to the coziness of their living room at the end of a busy Monday. “Cricket starts around 5.30 pm.

My office hours will end by 5.30 pm. So I can rush to my house and watch the match till the end,” said an enthusiastic Bank employee. Many students have already made plans to stay together in a friend’s house to cheer the young team India and scream ‘Chakde!’

The Canara Club and the Mangalore Club has decided to set up a big screen to watch the match for their members and guests. While the Canara Club has an indoor setting, the Mangalore club is setting up the screen outdoors.

The electronic shops in the city are expecting bigger queues than the ones they had for the earlier matches outside their windows. “I will not shut down my business establishments. But I will listen to the commentary on AIR,” said a businessman in the city.

Expectations

Most Mangalorean fans whom Deccan Herald spoke to said that they didn’t expect India to win the semifinal match. “At one point of time, I had no hopes for India’s win. But the downfall of Mathew Hayden and Andrew Symonds was a turning point and it favoured India”, said Siddharth, a 10th standard student who appreciated the young team’s energetic performance in the series.

He, like most fans, is confident of an Indian victory mainly because it is Pakistan on the other side against whom India has never lost in a World Cup. They also believe that after defeating the ‘unbeatable’ Australia in the semis, it is not a big deal for India to face Pakistan.

Power supply

Meanwhile, the Mescom authorities have informed Deccan Herald that Mescom is not undertaking any repair work on Monday under its jurisdiction. “We will see that there will be uninterrupted power supply,” informed a source.

Expectations are high as Team India has gone beyond all expectations. But there isn’t much tension of whether India will win or not. It’s time to enjoy. According to an MRPL-ONGC employee Sampath Kumar, whether India wins or not, the match will be surely worth watching. Afterall, what is more entertaining than an India-Pak cricket match?