There were unbelievable scenes at the Kia Oval in London Sunday, as Mumbai, India, came to town.
The venue was a sea of blue as Indian fans showed up in their numbers to support their team against defending champions Australia in their ICC World Cup clash.
The Oval capacity of 25,000 was not enough for the cricket loving Indians, as around 24,000 were packed inside and another 2,000 or so circled the ground hoping to tickets to enter the Oval.
From the Victoria line tube, the Indians began chanting and it was clear that this was going to be a great celebration for them.
What made it better was the fact that the sun came out in all its glory and the atmosphere soon took on one similar to the Wankhede in Mumbai.
Drums rolled for the entire first innings as the Indians danced and sang as the World Cup had arrived for them in London. In fact, they had much to dance and sing about as opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 117 as their team amassed 352 for five after winning the toss and opting to bat first.
There is a massive Indian diaspora in South London and they all seemed to have made their way to the Oval.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) also made them as comfortable as possible, as there was a group of dancers performing to Indian music at the entrance to the main gate. As one peered into the Oval from early on all you could see was blue, an amazing site for the neutral fans unaccustomed to seeing so many fans at a cricket ground in England when the home side was not playing.
On the outside, tickets were going for as much as 600 pounds (TT$5,500) and people were snapping them up. One young man ran back to the Vauxhall Station saying that he had forgotten that a guy was selling tickets for 400 pounds. It was total pandemonium outside the ground.
Later on, as runs flowed for the Indians inside, those who did not get in were taking a cue from the noise inside and dancing on the streets. The end with the famous Gas Holders was a favourite with the Indians, as they congregated there, drinking and eating and just having a good time.
There was also an unfortunate story where some fans inside passed their tickets through the fence and collected money for them but when the fans who took part in this transaction tries to get into the venue they couldn't.
However, those inside were happy to be there and chanted 'Jeetega Bhai Jeetega, India Jeetega' – which means “India will win! India will win!” And during the innings interval, some of the India fans even joined the performers and danced alongside them as they celebrated their team's performance and what they hoped was the start of a victory celebration.