Fans offer chaddar at Patna High Court mazaar for Team India’s semi-final match at Chandigarh. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, March 29: It is a match which even the gods would not want to miss. For, the Almighty has an open invitation from cricket fans in Patna to play for the Indian side.

As India takes on Pakistan in the second semi-final match of the ICC World Cup at Mohali, residents of the state capital are offering prayers and performing religious rituals to “ensure” the victory of Team India.

When it comes to such a nail-biting contest, fans depend more on fasts than their team’s fast bowling attack and praying to the all-powerful is thought to be more important than power plays.

Today, hundreds of cricket fans offered chaddars at the High Court mazaar, sporting masks of Indian players, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani.

Those who had started praying for India’s victory before the World Cup began on February 19 are already assured that the “divine force that guided the team till the semis would help the Men in Blue clear the last two obstacles too”. Cricket analysts may believe that Dhoni’s men are in good form, but for the believers, it has been made possible by the gods “who have blessed the main batsmen in the team with terrific form”.

“Especially Yuvraj, who is in an excellent form, scoring half centuries in almost all the games, has the special blessings of the almighty,” said, Moninder Singh, a cricket fan who had come to offer chaddar at the mazaar.

He added: “Yuvraj is the key. His performance as a batsman and also as a spinner has been superb. He has scored 341 runs and claimed 11 wickets in seven matches. Nobody can deny that he is a serious contender for the Man of the Series trophy.”

An ardent supporter for India, Vishal Kumar, said: “I am really nervous. I will not watch the match tomorrow. I have not seen a single World Cup match live but only highlights. The reason is whenever I watch an India match, the team never wins. People say I am mad and I should watch the matches. I may be superstitious but this is my way of helping the team win the match.”

Boring Road resident Shailendra Kumar said: “India is playing well and I hope they continue doing the same and beat Pakistan in the semis. Oh God, please help Tendulkar score his 100th century in this match. He has the best wishes of crores of fans.”

More than 100 people, including budding cricketers, visited the mazaar to offer chaddars. Women, with posters in hand, were seen praying for India.

The residents of the mazaar area have enough reason to justify their belief that India will win the World Cup. Local astrologer Pandit Prem Kumar Shankar of Rajabazaar said: “Grahon ki disha hamari team ke anukul hai (The direction of planets is in favour of the Indian team). My prediction is that India will surely beat Pakistan and enter the finals. However, at present, I can’t predict the result of the final match.”

For the fans, Virender Sehwag has a major role to play in tomorrow’s match. Fatima Khatun, a resident of Sabzibaag area, said: “I have prayed to Allah that Sehwag should play his natural game. He should play for at least 15 overs and the rest Allah will take care of. After scoring 175 runs against Bangladesh in the opening match of this World Cup, he hasn’t contributed much in this tourney. I want him to do a Bangladesh against Pakistan too.”