Sunday with Virat Kolhi and India's victory against Pakistan in Champions Trohpy
Telegraph | 24 February 2025
It was a Sunday that does not come often.
From residential complexes to malls and electronic goods stores, the fever of the India-Pakistan face-off in the Champions Trophy cricket match gripped the city.
Fans went over to each other’s apartments to watch the game together. Malls screening the match on giant screens resembled a stadium, as the roar of the crowds reverberated through their floors.
Some other Sunday hotspots — Park Street and New Market, among them — were emptier than usual.
At Park Street’s Apsara apartment, several residents assembled in a flat to watch the match together.
They wore Team India T-shirts and had placards with the numbers 4 and 6 written on them. Each time the Indian batters hit a boundary, the signs went up as if they were displaying it for the cameraperson in the stadium. True to the spirit of the game, the 4 or 6 signs went up for the Pakistani batters, too, when they displayed their batting skills.
Siddhant Agarwal, 15, a Class XI student of St James School, has an English literature exam on Monday. That, though, was not reason enough for him to skip the game.
“I studied for long in the morning so that I could watch the match. An India-Pakistan match is rare these days and I did not want to miss it,” said Siddhant.
Nita Agarwal, 46, the host of the gathering, said besides the fun of watching the game, these were also occasions that created bonds between neighbours and friends. “Such occasions give an opportunity for friends and neighbours across age groups to spend time together,” she said.
Sweets, pakodas and pasta were served as refreshments.
As India’s innings began and runs flowed thick and fast, they cheered in the flat.
The delivery of Shaheen Shah Afridi that went past Rohit Sharma’s bat and scalped his wicket changed the mood. There was pin-drop silence in the room.
Earlier in the afternoon, the emotions of the fans were on a roller coaster ride.
Quick back-to-back wickets of Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq in the eighth and ninth overs had them bursting with excitement at E-Mall in Chandni Chowk. This was followed by a lull as Pakistan added 104 runs to their score. After this the wickets fell regularly and the pitch of celebrations rose in tandem.
At E-Mall, every store had either a laptop or a TV or a phone where the game was on. The employees huddled around it and watched the match. Even customers had a glance or two at the screens while picking from a range of phones or laptops.
Afsar Ali Khan, 40, an employee of a store selling laptops and phones, was glued to a laptop. “India has to win this match to avenge its 2017 loss,” he said.
Pakistan had trumped India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 to lift the cup. The pain of the loss was still fresh in Afsar’s memory.
At a social club in south Calcutta, which screened the match, there was hardly an empty table. The members enjoyed their food and drinks as the match progressed.
As the Indian innings advanced and India’s victory was within reach, the taut nerves started to loosen at South City Mall. Smiles were back on anxious faces.
Virat Kohli crossing 14,000 ODI runs was greeted with thunderous applause, hoots and whistles. The crowd reacted similarly when he hit a century.
Shubhangi Ghosh, 22, and her mother had stayed back at South City to watch the match after they had finished buying groceries.
“We dropped the groceries in the car and came back to have the feel of watching the match on the big screen,” Shubhangi said.