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World Cup 2015: Swami Army on overdrive for hearts bleeding blue

Gurnam Singh is on overdrive mode. The enterprising president of the Swami Army has organised a "once in a lifetime" bus ride for anyone in Sydney whose heart bleeds blue, and not yellow. And his phone hasn't stopped ringing since.

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Gurnam Singh is on overdrive mode. The enterprising president of the Swami Army has organised a "once in a lifetime" bus ride for anyone in Sydney whose heart bleeds blue, and not yellow. And his phone hasn't stopped ringing since.

At 10 am on Thursday, an open double-decker bus, replete with dhols, drums and what not, will chug along from Sydney Central to the Sydney Cricket Ground. Expectedly, the Long Red will traipse the city's iconic spots like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, making its presence felt ahead of what promises to be the granddaddy of all cricket clashes. And for those who happen to miss the first bus, there will be two more services, at 11 am and 12 noon. One lucky soul even stands a chance to win an autographed bat of a chap named Sachin Tendulkar.

Singh refused to reveal how he attained permission from civic authorities to run a 'parallel' bus service of sorts, and that too at 10 times the regular fare and 1/10th the speed. "We are charging $30 dollars for the 4-km ride. It will take around an hour. How did we get permission? Well, that's our secret. But please be there. It's free for the media," Singh said.

By around 1 pm, the Centennial Parklands façade of the SCG will resemble a mela. Inside, Team India and their supporters will hope to stamp their authority not just on the Australian team, but the nation's collective psyche. It's 'only' the semifinal, but it surely feels bigger than Sunday's grand finale in Melbourne where the Kiwis have already touched base.

On Wednesday, which in journalism parlance was "preview day", both teams applied the finishing touches to their preparations. If India, riding on a mind-boggling run of 11 straight wins in World Cup play dating back to March 20, 2011, looked purposeful, then Australia came across as slightly desperate. Why else would Shane Warne, aged 45 years and 194 days, and sporting casual wear, feed skipper Michael Clarke with leg-breaks? Perhaps, the Australian think-tank reckons the 'Sheikh of Tweak' can still outdo the lone spinner in their squad, Xavier Doherty. Actually, he can. And he did. James Faulkner, who was embarrassingly bowled by Warne, will vouch for that.

Or, is the nature of the pitch, straw-coloured and rolled over again and again to resemble a half-burnt dosa, worrying the Aussies? R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are certainly not complaining.

Clarke knows what awaits his team. "It's a no-brainer," he laughed in response to a query of the demographics of the 48,000-capacity stadium. Even the Ambanis will be present. "We know that the Indian supporters will outnumber the Australian supporters," Clarke added. India opener Rohit Sharma can't wait for the game to begin. "We are here on a mission. And that is to win the World Cup," he said. India are just two steps away from scaling the summit all over again. They are ready to take the first.

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