Edgbaston cricket ground records its highest ever attendance in the India-Pakistan game

Leaving behind all the off-field controversies in the dressing room, the Indian cricket team started their 2017 Champions Trophy defence with a bang as they humiliated arch-rivals Pakistan in an emphatic win by 124 runs. Nobody from Pakistan’s batting line-up could replicate the performance put up by the Indian batsmen, especially Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, and the match was thus a one-sided affair.

The good thing about the rivalry is that it does not just induce excitement among fans from either side of the border, but also from cricket lovers across the globe. And so it was no surprise that the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium in Birmingham, a neutral venue for both the teams, was packed to its capacity on Sunday. The clash registered a new record attendance for the beautiful stadium. The ground drew a crowd strength of 24,156 on the match day, a new highest for the venue in its history.

The very fact that India-Pakistan meet on the cricket field very rarely induces more excitement among the viewers. They do not meet outside of multilateral events and for now, there is no glimmer of hope that they will resume bilateral ties anytime soon. This is why nobody wants to miss this once in a blue moon encounter.

Before Edgbaston, the two teams last met at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in March 2016, which was also won by India on the back of a sensational knock from Virat Kohli.

Rain played spoilsport 

The downside to the match, however, was the frequent interruption by rain, plus Pakistan’s complete surrender from the beginning of their innings. It was not an interesting match by any standards but like always, Indian fans celebrate the victory with some firecrackers lighting the sky. India will next play Sri Lanka on 8th June to confirm their semi-final berth.