Victory cheer loud & clear

Victory cheer loud & clear

AAROHI KESHAV

Fans celebrate after the Wednesday’s win in Patna. Telegraph picture Patna, March 31: As India beat Pakistan at Mohali last night, a roar, louder than the thunderstorm the residents faced in the evening, rang through the empty roads of the city. It was the cry of jubilation as lakhs of prayers were heard at the same time. Bipul Kumar, a bank employee who took leave from work to watch the match, was overjoyed. “I kept waiting for the match to start since morning. I switched off my cellphone and put away anything that could distract my attention. The moment India won, I started screaming like crazy. This was the best match I ever saw. It was an unbelievable experience. Though the match ended at 10.30pm, I was up till 2am, celebrating the team’s victory,” he said. The moment India won the semi-final, people came out of their houses and burst firecrackers. Whistles were blown, drums were beaten, children danced and youths took out motorcycle rallies, chanting victory slogans. For the final match, Bipul said: “I am cent per cent sure India will win and history will be repeated. But the joy I got watching Wednesday’s match was totally different because it was India versus Pakistan.” Amit K. Srivastava, a resident of Kankerbagh, rued the powercuts during the match. He said: “If there was no powercut, I would have enjoyed the game more. It was a nail-biting match. Not a ball, not a shot was to be missed. Whenever the lights went off, I called up my friends to inquire about the score.” Keeping his fingers crossed, Amit added: “Now that India has qualified for the finals, we hope to not face similar powercuts. I don’t want to miss the match again.” Businessman Ajay Singh said: “I wanted to watch the match with my friends so we decided to book a hotel room, where we could watch the match without interruptions, for Rs 800 for the day.” “India winning this semi-final against Pakistan was more important. Now, we will be okay even if we don’t win the final,” added Ajay.