Bengal Tiger hungry for Kangaroo meat

The verdict is in and it is a unanimous one. Every Indian supporter present at the Nehru Stadium is convinced that they will return home having witnessed an Indian victory. Queues outside the stadium stretch for miles, winding through the `galis' and bylanes. The police are out in numbers and variety. Boisterous, bossy and inefficient were the potbellied men in khaki as they tried in vain to shepherd the gathered masses. In contrast, the special forces deployed, dressed in a dapper blue stood by the side, strong, silent and a much more potent force. "Sourav Ganguly will smash the Australian bowling today. He's India's captain and there's no way he will fail again," said one faithful fan. Whether the Indian captain will justify this faith or not remains to be seen. One thing is sure though, if Ganguly fails, the same faith will turn on him, with redoubled intensity.

The Indian captain is very fortunate to be playing the series decider in Goa. Fans from most venues are far less forgiving of failure. "Ganguly is too good a bat to miss out five times. He will come good at some point and this is the best chance for him," chipped in another fan. A third was quick to make a comparison, "If Dinesh Mongia fails for two matches, you remove him from the team. Then why not Ganguly also?" said the irate fan. The battle lines are clearly drawn. Ganguly does not enjoy the blind support of all fans in this city like Sachin Tendulkar does. However, the Aussies have bound the fans into one cohesive unit. It's amazing what a common enemy does for morale.

The Australian contingent here is a small one. In number that is. The amount of noise they can generate, however, is amazing. Far more organised than the Indians, the touring Aussie fans are almost a cheering unit. With different chants for each player, ranging from the characteristic "Oooh! Aaah! Oooh! Aaah! Glenn McGrath!" to the slow drawl of "Waaaaaaarnie!" the Aussie contingent has a way of lifting its team. The Australian players in turn appreciate the support they get, especially on a long tour like this one. When a player acknowledges the cheers the din simply gets louder.

In support too, the Australin fans are different from the Indians, "It's a great experience for us to be here in India. Fortunately touring India is comparatively inexpensive," said one fan, sporting a large Kangaroo mannequin. "We're the world champions, there's no reason why we shouldn't win today," he added. Drifting away from the purists notion that Test cricket was the real challenge whilst One-Dayers are an add on, another fan said, "It is disappointing to have lost the Test series. But that's not the end of the world. If we win the One-Dayers, we can all go back home happy," he concluded. The carnival atmosphere at Goa has done wonders to lift the spirits. "Back at home (in Australia) it's unimaginable to watch a game without a glass of chilled beer to go. In the hot and humid conditions here that would have been ideal," said the fan ruefully. With alcohol being banned at all venues, Goa proves to be a bit of an oasis. Although liquor is not allowed into the grounds here as well, it is at least not frowned on.