ICC World Cup Final: Ahmedabad in high spirits for the big bash

Ahmedabad: Delicate trails of wavy smoke remained suspended in the air briefly before vanishing into the blue sky above the Narendra Modi stadium on Saturday. 

Those were the only signs of the Surya Kiran Aerobatic team’s dress rehearsal at first but then they came by more and more frequently before a team of them flew over in the shape of an inverted ‘V’. 

They were going through a rather long routine for a 15-minute show they are to put on before the start of the World Cup final between India and Australia.

Meanwhile, hundreds of fans stood at Gate 1, enveloped in awe of this ground-shaking experience of witnessing red and white BAE Hawk Mk132 aircrafts consume their eyes. And yet, their despondency remained unabated as they resigned to their fate that there were no tickets to be had at the venue.

“We tried getting it online months ago, but that didn’t happen and so we have been coming here for days to get tickets,” said Jatin Suri, from Rajasthan. “We are staying at a dorm where eight of us are in one room, and now we find out that the cheapest tickets available, in black, are Rs 30,000 a ticket.”

What Jatin didn’t know at the time was that the resell market would outdo itself over the course of the next twelve hours. Turns out, at Bay 7, tickets for the final were going at over Rs 8 lakh each on Saturday morning. 

“There are plenty of takers for these tickets,” said a reseller, seated not far from the main gate. “I have sold a lot of tickets for upwards of Rs 50,000 the last few days, but those tickets are going at Rs 1 lakh today.”

A policeman joined in on the conversation and was all praise for the reseller for making the profit. Once the policeman was, jocularly, informed of his duty to rid the space of black-market vendors, he retorted: “I too bought a ticket from him only. My son wanted one, he’s ten. I should be posted inside tomorrow so I’ll join him at the stands.”

While they chatted away about who was going to win the game, the other policemen lounged about talking about all the extra personnel they had to train for the big day. 

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside Home Minister Amit Shah and his son Jay Shah, in attendance, there’s an elevated need for protection. “We will have over 20 thousand policemen tomorrow. That’s separate from Special Forces and the PM’s special security,” said Inspector Raval Singh.

It’s all getting a little out of hand here, but that’s what we’ve come to expect when it’s cricket in India, more so when it’s the World Cup. 

Welcome to the ride.

Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team does a flypast during a rehearsal ahead of the WC final. PTI

Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team does a flypastduring a rehearsal ahead of the WC final. PTI