AHMEDABAD: Long before one turns right from the Ahmedabad-Patan highway onto Motera road, signs were there. The Sun was slowly going down on Wednesday evening, and hawkers were busy selling counterfeit jerseys of the Indian cricketing stars on either side of the highway. Everywhere one could turn, it was a sea of blue with fans bargaining for a lower price to get their hands on the knockoffs with their favourite stars’ name on it.
And as one would expect, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli jerseys were prominently sold everywhere. They may have become one-format players, retired from T20Is two years ago and moved down to Grade B in central contracts, but the duo is still the most popular stars in Indian cricket with Kohli leading the way. Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma names are next on the list of jerseys sold.
Once the right is taken onto the Motera road, barricades are drawn, no four-wheelers are allowed, with autorickshaws operating at price fit for kings. Exorbitant would be an understatement. A little further down the road, the sea of blue that moves towards Gate 1 of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is filtered down further; only those with tickets can enter further. India won the toss and decided to enthrall the crowd with their pyrotechnic.
Inside, the crowd is slowly starting to fill in the massive stands gearing up for what is set to be the most-attended match in this T20 World Cup so far. The South Africa versus New Zealand game at this venue saw more than 55000 fans show up, but this contest between India and the Netherlands is expected to be a lot more than that.
And that is something the Netherlands are wary of. They may have a tournament to forget, but irrespective of the result, this would be a game to remember for them. For this a chance for them to put on a show against the biggest crowd Netherlands cricket has seen by far. Skipper Scott Edwards said as much on the eve of the match. “Yeah, it's obviously a massive opportunity,” Edwards said on Tuesday. “I think it is the biggest stadium in the world. So, to be playing against India in India at the biggest stadium is something all the guys are really looking forward to. It's a great opportunity to test yourselves against the best,” he added.
And that is what the thousands of fans who are filling the stadium would want as well. To watch their favourite stars play a competitive match in what will be their last league game before the Super 8s begin.