Metro
On Sunday, thousands of cricket fans gathered on Long Island to watch the world’s biggest sporting showdown: World Cup Cricket between India and Pakistan, something most New Yorkers may not know about.
Fans flocked to the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium at Eisenhower Park, causing around 90 minutes of traffic jams before the match, but they remained optimistic and supported their team even after two rain delays stalled the game.
Sunday’s match was by far the most anticipated of the T20 World Cup cricket matches in New York – a group match between the world’s best teams that could determine which teams progress to the knockout stages.
Recent Harvard University graduates Kartikeya Bhatia, 27, and Aashish Khullar, 37, both Indian nationals living in Boston, said they were thrilled that the long-standing rivalry had come to the United States.
“[I’m] “I’m super excited,” Aashish told the Post. “Yeah, it’s kind of cool to actually come and see the stadium. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen an international cricket match in a stadium.”
The pair walked through the stadium’s nearly full car park to buy their opponents’ jerseys — Kartikeya a green Pakistan jersey and Aashish an orange-and-blue India jersey.
“Even if it’s not about cricket, an India-Pakistan match is always a cultural thing so it will be good to see it in person,” Kartikeya said.
The fan numbers seemed to be split 90:10, with Indian supporters far outnumbering Pakistani supporters.
Kashif Sheriz, 49, flew from the UK to New York just to watch the highly anticipated match.
“We are here from London to support Pakistan,” said Sheriz, wearing a green Pakistan jersey he had bought outside the stadium. “It’s going to be a tough match, it’s going to be a good match, it’s going to be an exciting match, but it’s this team that will win. Green all the way.”
Sheries praised Long Island, and the United States, for welcoming cricket.
On Thursday, the U.S. team recorded a shocking win against Pakistan.
[“It’s] “It’s great here. The atmosphere is great. Everybody is so nice and I hope the Americans enjoy playing against the cricketers as much as we do,” he said, adding, “The US is doing well. They beat Pakistan. There’s no rivalry between the fans. It’s just on the field. Once the game starts, it all starts.”
Excited fans wore wigs, signs, flags and other merchandise to support their team, and many showed up early in the morning to secure parking spots, which parking officials said was at half capacity by 8 a.m.
“It’s crazy as hell but it’s good. It’s a great atmosphere,” a parking lot attendant told The Post.
Joe La Porta, 32, came from Albany with his girlfriend, Yesha Vajda, to watch the game wearing an Indian jersey.
“This is my first match… and [my girlfriend] “She’s really into cricket,” La Porta said.
“I’ve had an interest in it since last year’s World Cup so this will be my first time watching a T20 match and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s about a three-hour drive away so I’m lucky to actually be able to watch a match like this.”
“I haven’t been to a cricket match for 10 years,” Yesha said, adding that she was excited to see Rohit Sharma, her former classmate from their India days, captioning the Indian team.
“It’s going to be a great match. I’m sure India will win. Go India.”
Groups of cricket fans supporting both the Indian and Pakistani teams clung to the gates outside the stadium as the close match unfolded inside, cheering at intervals as music blared from the arena.
Bobby Mehra, 49, and Arjun Singh, 45, both banking technology professionals who were rooting for India, left the game early to avoid traffic jams heading back to Summit, New Jersey.
“I’m going home,” Bobby said. “Back to Jersey. It’s going to be a total mess with the traffic. It was a tough game.”
Although it would undoubtedly be a long drive home, the pair were excited to be able to watch a cricket match close to home.
“It feels amazing,” says the India-born Bobby. “It’s an energy in itself.”
“Most people in the United States don’t know about the sport of cricket. All of a sudden, you see people from all over the country flocking to stadiums. The crowds are important.”
The India-Pakistan match is part of the ICC Men’s T20 Tournament 2024 and follows the USA’s impressive win over Pakistan on Thursday.
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