Fans paint Ahmedabad blue as India-Pakistan tie frenzy takes over city

All roads in Ahmedabad lead to the Narendra Modi Stadium at Motera which is hosting the most anticipated match of the ICC World Cup 2023 between archrivals India and Pakistan.

Team India’s supporters virtually painted the town blue, sporting India’s jersey and cheering for them. They thronged the city in large numbers, hoping to get into the stadium in time for the thrilling match.

The cricket fever gripped the city as fans clad in blue converged at traffic junctions, metro stations and roadsides to wave at the official bus ferrying the Indian team amid tight security across Ahmedabad. Hundreds of locals gathered under the Ashram Road flyover in Usmanpura as the Pakistani team walked out of the hotel. Mohammed Bashir stopped for the crowd and shouted, “Jeetega bhai jeetega!” and the crowd promptly replied “India jeetega!”

Packet to capacity

The Narendra Modi Stadium which can seat about 1.3 lakh spectators was packed to capacity, with big shots from the world of politics, cinema and sports also landing in the city to watch the high-voltage match.

Singer Arijit Singh opened the pre-ceremony with his performance following the toss that the Indian team won. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bowl. A huge roar went up in the crowd when Rohit Sharma announced that Shubman Gill was back to make his World Cup debut as the fans in Ahmedabad cheered their Gujarat Titans hero.

As Pakistan Captain Babar Azam was called to speak after the Indian captain during the toss ceremony, the crowd at the stadium began booing. However, amid a sea of blue, a few Pakistani fans, clad in green jerseys, cheered as Azam walked up to the middle to give his assessment of the toss and the conditions.

Noticeably, a sole mediaperson from Pakistan has been allowed to cover the match at Ahmedabad stadium. The Pakistan media will finally be able to cover a match in the World Cup. “One mediaperson has got visa and is here to cover the match,” Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) Secretary Anil Patel confirmed. Pak media could not cover the first two matches of their team in India.

No pan masala

The Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) has specifically asked the Ahmedabad police to prevent fans from bringing pan masala or ‘gutka’ into the stadium during the India-Pakistan game.

“When people spit out masala it leads to blockage in bathroom pipes, resulting in waterlogging in the basin. It also creates a dirty environment, requiring GCA to spend money on stain removal,” said a GCA official.

Only posters, mobile phones and emergency medicines were allowed to be brought inside the stadium.

Medical facility

There are six semi-ICU ambulances at the stadium with six general medical kiosks. Two makeshift hospitals - one with six beds and the other with two - have been set up at the stadium.

For elderly people and the differently abled golf carts are available. More than 120 food stalls were set up inside while mineral water was supplied through the facility’s 48 RO plants.