Crowd in pubs toast a win for the Men in Blue

By 10.40pm on Wednesday, as India won the much-hyped match against Pakistan, Connaught Place, the heart of the Capital, reverberated with sounds of crackers.

By 10.40pm on Wednesday, as India won the much-hyped match against Pakistan, Connaught Place, the heart of the Capital, reverberated with sounds of crackers.

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By 11pm, there was huge traffic jam on Vikas Marg at Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi, as people came out on the roads and burst crackers after the victory. Cricket fans who had been watching the match on big screens inside various restaurants and bars came out to celebrate.

By 7pm, there was a huge crowd of cricket fans outside Blues, a restro-bar in CP, wanting to gain entry, but the guard at the gate just didn’t allow anybody in. By 8.30pm, when Pakistan lost its fourth wicket, fans inside the restaurant went berserk.

A lot of fans, who were from the corporate sector, enjoyed some special discounts.”The mood inside is exuberant and everyone is confident that will win this game,” said Ajitpal Bhatia, area manager for Reliance.

“Since this is a very special match, we have not even raised the rates of the drinks and snacks. Today we have happy hours for women throughout the day. We wanted more women to be involved in the game, because it is largely a male-dominated sport,” said Promod Joshi, general manager, Blues.

Deepak Sharma, manager Café OZ in Khan Market had a tough time controlling the hysterical crowds inside the café. Ever time a Pakistani wicket fell, loud whistles reverberated, as most men and women cheered.” We have been showing all the matches, but have not seen this kind of response from our customers.”

A buoyant mood was seen in QBA Restaurant and Bar in Connaught Place, where people were seen literally floored in front of the big screen. One could hear loud cheers emanating from several CP high-rises as the Men in Blue did Delhiites and every Indian proud.