Indian cricket fever swept through New York on Wednesday morning as thousands of fans from the US and Canada descended upon Westbury station, a small Long Island stop. The buses arranged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to transport fans from the station to Nassau County ground were nearly empty until the morning of the India-Pakistan game, when excitement suddenly surged.
Among those who had traveled far for this historic event was Abhay, a tech-savvy fan who drove over four hours from Boston to witness the match. He couldn’t contain his excitement as he spoke about Captain Rohit Sharma’s promise to leave something special for the fans in New York.
The younger Indian diaspora, adorned in tri-colour paint and flags, made their way to the stadium alongside an elderly woman named Shyamali Chakraborty, who compared the experience to a group picnic with 17 people. Despite some difficulty securing tickets for the India-Pakistan game, fans like a young couple from Toronto flew in with their baby just to witness it all.
As India took the field against Pakistan, music filled the air and tri-colour flags fluttered overhead, symbolizing cricket’s celebration on new shores. The Indian team’s victory over Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener only added to the thrill and excitement of what was already an unforgettable day for cricket lovers in New York.
