Another record crowd created another carnival atmosphere at Edgbaston Stadium as India cruised past Bangladesh to seal their place in the ICC Champions Trophy final. Virat Kohli’s side will face arch-rivals Pakistan at The Oval on Sunday after eclipsing the Tigers by nine wickets to the delight of their many fans in the tumultuous stands.
The tournament has brought people flooding into Birmingham with Edgbaston’s four group games and semi-final attended by a total of 109,910 spectators.
Chasing the Tigers’ total of 264 for seven, India charged to 265 for one with 59 balls to spare as Rohit Sharma ended unbeaten on 123 (129 balls, 15 fours, one six) and Virat Kohli on 96 (78 balls, 13 fours).
Their batting masterclass was an appropriately exuberant way to bring the curtain down on the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston – and the 24,340 crowd meant the record attendance for an ODI at the ground was broken for the third time in 11 days.
The India v Pakistan group match attracted 24,156 and then the England v Australia game 24,227 before today’s semi-final raised the bar again.
The tournament has brought people flooding into Birmingham with Edgbaston’s four group games and semi-final attended by a total of 109,910 spectators. The Pakistan v South Africa and Australia v New Zealand matches were watched by crowds of 18,647 and 18,540 respectively. The tournament has fully lived up to expectations in the Second City with fans of all countries visiting in force and generating fantastic and good-natured atmospheres at all the games.
And surveys conducted immediately after the matches show that those fans will be returning to their homes around the world with great memories of their visit to Birmingham. Asked to rate out of ten the atmosphere at the match they had just watched, fans responded with an average mark of 9.3 for the India v Pakistan game and 9.2 for both England v Australia and South Africa v Pakistan.
Asked to rate out of ten the atmosphere at the match they had just watched, fans responded with an average mark of 9.3
India’s supporters will certainly head for The Oval with happy memories of Edgbaston. After thrashing Pakistan by 124 runs in a group encounter, they saw off Bangladesh in the semis at a canter.
Bangladesh’s total of 264 for seven was respectable but never enough to stretch a buoyant India side whose reply was spectacularly launched by an opening stand of 87 in 88 balls between Shikhar Dhawan (46 from 34 balls) and Sharma. Sharma and Kohli then played increasingly as they pleased in an unbroken partnership of 178 from 153 balls.
So India march on in the ICC Champions Trophy. Next up for Edgbaston, meanwhile, another slice of history as the ground prepares to host one of the inaugural round of day/night Specsavers County Championship matches when Warwickshire face Lancashire starting on Monday 26th June.
