Did the Women's World Cup at DY Patil Stadium Make History with Huge Crowd for India vs Australia Semifinals?
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Key Takeaways
Navi Mumbai, Oct 30 (NationPress) While India's performance in the match was not quite as anticipated, history was unfolding outside the boundary as an enormous crowd gathered at Dr DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup semifinal against Australia on Thursday.
Although official attendance figures from the ICC are pending, unofficial estimates suggest around 25,000 fans, potentially setting a new record for the highest attendance at a women's cricket event.
On the field, India faced tough competition from the seven-time champions and defending titleholders Australia, who reached 225/3 in 35 overs. Nonetheless, the crowd passionately supported the Indian team.
Despite it being a Thursday and potential rain looming over the match, spectators began filling the stadium early. By the end of the first innings, the venue was completely packed. The anticipation was palpable as the host nation aimed for their first title against the formidable Australians, leading to tickets being scalped at prices as high as Rs 500, far above the original price of Rs 100.
The crowd was expected to surpass the previous record set during the India versus New Zealand match last week, which welcomed 23,180 fans at 6:15 pm. This earlier record broke the previous high of 22,843 from the tournament's opening match between India and Sri Lanka on September 30 in Guwahati.
By 7 pm, the attendance had exceeded 23,500, though many began leaving due to rain.
As Australia batted, the attendance continued to climb, with expectations that it would peak when India took their turn to bat, potentially reaching unprecedented numbers for any cricket match.
Fans arrived early, lining up at least two hours before the start, despite it being a weekday, passing by vendors selling jerseys, flags, caps, and face paints in the colors of the Indian flag.
The match was declared sold out days prior, and excitement escalated as it became clear that India would face Australia.