“Had the match been in Chennai or Mumbai, most fans would have stayed back until the end for the presentation ceremony. I didn’t enjoy the experience,” said Namboodiri, who had come to watch the game with his brother from Mumbai. “The crowd at the stadium was really bad. The much-anticipated final had been a topic of discussion across the cricket-obsessed South Asian nation, where people thronged restaurants, pubs and cafes for public screenings of the India-Australia clash.īut as the Indian players stumbled and stared at defeat, thousands of fans in the 100,000-plus-capacity stadium began to leave their seats before the game ended – a sorry image after India’s flawless route to the final. Australian players celebrate with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy in Ahmedabad “I was quite excited about the match as it was my first time watching India at the World Cup, but it just wasn’t our day,” Sriraj Namboodiri told Al Jazeera from Ahmedabad over telephone. For hosts India, who reached the final after 10 unbeaten matches, a dream died.
The Aussies are now six-time winners of the title. Keep reading list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Calm Australia beat favourites India for sixth Cricket World Cup crown list 2 of 4 Australia use conditions and the toss to win World Cup, Indian legends say list 3 of 4 Dravid urges heartbroken India players to ‘move on’ after World Cup loss list 4 of 4 Photos: Head breaks India hearts as Australia win sixth World Cup title end of list
