CHENNAI: The buzz could not just be felt but seen as fans many with the tricolour painted on their cheeks-waited in long queues to enter the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Wednesday. Those not lucky enough to get tickets were scouting to get them, even in black.
Emotions were running high not just on the pitch but off it too as people jostled and argued for their favoured spot in the 9,000-seater stadium. Nobody wanted to miss a moment, not even Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin or India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, all of whom were in attendance to watch the spectacle. Currently not in the team, India forward Lalit Upadhyay justified the vibe: Today's the night. It is India vs Pakistan.
As unequal as the rivalry may have been of late, all the squabbles and disagreements were worth the money and effort as the Chennai crowd witnessed what they had come for. India hammered Pakistan 4-0 to top the league stage of the Asian Champions Trophy with 13 points and knock their rivals out of the six-team tournament.
Skipper and ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh (15th, 23rd) delivered when it mattered most, scoring a brace while Jugraj Singh (36th) and Akashdeep Singh (55th) scored one each to extend India's unbeaten run against Pakistan to 16 matches.
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