ICC Cricket World Cup, India vs Australia: Swami Army swarm set to swamp Sydney

India and Australia are set to face off in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). A lot of the talk before the game has been about the strong Indian presence expected in the stands on match-day. Nishad Pai Vaidya gets a pulse of the fanfare on the eve of the much-anticipated contest at Sydney.

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“Oh! You are here for the Cricket World Cup! Understand that 70 percent of the crowd for tomorrow’s game would be Indian,” said a cab driver as I pulled over close to my apartment. That is what everyone in Sydney has been talking about — the strong Indian crowd expected at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final. The match, set to be played at SCG, would most likely witness an army of blue take over. Michael Clarke said it was a no-brainer that his fans would be outnumbered on the big day. How much of an effect would that have on the game? Read: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final Preview

There were some Indian fans that had assembled outside SCG on Wednesday as India put the final pieces to the puzzle. Numerous television channels captured their excitement as the fans whole-heartedly cheered for India in front of the panning cameras. The familiar faces — Basheer chacha and Sudhir Kumar — became the centre of all the attention. Basheer had a replica of the World Cup with him as fans posed with both of them. “Jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega! Dhoni, we love you!” Basheer roared through the day. Read: Five reasons why India will beat Australia in ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final

It is quite interesting that the Indian fans were not inside the SCG premises during India’s practice session in the morning. Unlike Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or the Adelaide Oval, SCG has walled premises. Fans are, thus, denied access to the ground. The Indian session was attended only by the media. However, when Australia began training in the evening, the fans trickled in. The roars were loud. The Yes-we-have-a-game-tomorrow feeling encompassed the ground.  Read: Five reasons why Australia will beat India in ICC World Cup 2015 semi-final

Through that emerged another familiar figure. He wished a photographer as he made his way to the Australian nets and quietly slipped in as the fans recognised him. Shane Warne’s presence in the Australian nets on the eve of the game created a buzz at the SCG. Dressed in a black jumper over a white t-shirt, Warne warmed up and then rolled his arm over. There were “ooh”s and “aah”s as Warne beat Aaron Finch and James Faulkner a few times. And when he finally hit timber, there was a warm round of applause. Mind you, 99 percent of the fans watching those nets were Indians, but were united in their awe for Warne. Read: Presence of Swami Army at Sydney for semi-final will give India a chance

A small crowd was present on the eve of the game, but many more are expected on the big day. The Swami Army have planned a bus ride from the city centre to the stadium, which is a part of the grand carnival in store on Thursday. Read: India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Key Clashes

India have seen massive support from the fans throughout the tour. MCG was almost full during the game against South Africa. SCG may not have the capacity of that magnitude, but the atmosphere may well rival that of MCG. This could be a very interesting day for the fans in the stands. Read: India vs Australia: The game that matters

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)