World Cup 2015: On Sunday, Adelaide Airport turns dormitory for India, Pakistan fans

It's estimated that 20,000 non-Adelaide fans will be filling 50,000 capacity stadium for Ind-Pak contest.

Indian fans at the St Peters College ground in Adelaide

The Adelaide Airport has come to the rescue of thousands of India and Pakistan fans who have tickets for Sunday’s big game but no hotel accommodation. And they are not merely laying out mattresses and converting the terminal into a dormitory. There will be a giant screen playing Bollywood entertainment, bean bags, artificial lawns with picket fences and food outlets open all night. (Full Coverage| Venues | Fixtures)

“This is the first time the terminal will be open all night,” said Brenton Cox, Executive General Manager (Corporate affairs) at Adelaide Airport. It is estimated that about 5,000 fans will spend the night at the airport and catch one of 19 Monday morning flights out of the city. Efforts are also on to get the permission to put the game live on the giant screen at the terminal.

It is estimated that 20,000 non-Adelaide fans will be filling the 50,000 capacity stadium for the most-hyped contest whose tickets were sold out within hours. The anticipation for the game is hard to miss here as streets, restaurants and hotels are filled with fans from the sub-continent.

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Even for the net sessions, supporters in blue or green shirts, depending on their affiliation, have been coming in, attempting selfies, trying to get autographs or merely having a glimpse of their favourite cricketers.

Special plans are in place for the match day. About 5,000 loyalists in India blues will march together on the bridge built over the river that flows just outside the stadium. It is an Adelaide sporting tradition first started by a local football club. Locals say the march to the Oval became so popular over a period of time that fans from the rival city club regret that they didn’t come up with the idea first.

The Swami Army, the outfit of travelling Indian fans, in a press statement asked its members to congregate at Elder Park a couple of hours before the game starts. “This is a great opportunity for members who will be attending the match to show your support for Team India and let the whole of Adelaide know that the Swami Army are in town,” it said in the press release. There is an offer of free ice-cream for the marchers.