D-day has come for the Men in Blue and millions of cricket lovers as India battle it out with neighbour Sri Lanka in Mumbai to hopefully reclaim the glorious moments of the 1983 World Cup.
D-day has come for the Men in Blue and millions of cricket lovers as India battle it out with neighbour Sri Lanka in Mumbai to hopefully reclaim the glorious moments of the 1983 World Cup.
And Gujaratis are not giving a second thought to what they have to pay to witness the final at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday. Fans are hoping that the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar makes it big once again by hitting his 100th century.
Cricket enthusiasts in the state are paying as much as Rs 40K for a one-day trip without hotel stay to Mumbai that normally costs less than 10K. The packaged tour includes brunch at Gateway Taj in Mumbai, pick up from its cricket lounge, tickets for club pavilion at the Wankhede, snacks and cold drinks and drop to the hotel lounge.
A tour operator in Anand, Dhaval Shah, claims he has sold around eight packages of Rs 40K to go to Wankhede. "Not only locals, but some NRGs have also come from USA and UK specially to see the semifinal and final matches," he says.
Another case is that of Jagat Patel in Sarsa near Anand. He and a bunch of friends do not wish to miss the epic clash and chose to buy a one-day tour package to Mumbai spending Rs 40K each. "Being cricket lovers, we can't miss this event, especially when it is happening in India," he said.
While Patel had planned his trip quite sometime ago, there are cricket enthusiasts who thought to give a try after India made it to the final. "We have a couple of confirmed tickets for the final bash, but we are still making efforts to get more tickets so that all friends can go together. We are ready to pay as much as Rs 20K to Rs 25K. As getting train or air tickets is a problem, we will drive down to Mumbai," says Chirayush Patel in Vadodara.
There are a few who are willing to spend huge sums to get tickets for the match but have failed. "We have been getting inquiries to get a package for the final match but the tickets are not available. People are willing to pay a fortune but despite that they are not getting tickets," says vice-president, Cox & King Ltd, Sanjeev Chaajer.
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