Monks offer prayers for India’s victory in the World Cup final, in Bodhgaya on Thursday, and (above) boarders of Jackson Hostel rejoice the semi-final win. Pictures by Suman and Ashok Sinha

Patna, March 31: India playing a cricket match against their archrivals Pakistan, that too in a World Cup semi-final, was reason enough to celebrate. And India winning the match made sure that the celebrations went through the roof.

What if the clash of titans was taking place nearly 1,200km away at Mohali? When Misbah-ul-Haq got out in the 49th over of the Pakistan innings, Patna residents took to the streets in large numbers to celebrate.

Some burst crackers, others waved large Tricolours, while some just kept shouting: “We won, we won!” Late at night, there was a traffic jam at Dakbungalow roundabout, with many residents trying to make it home after watching the match with friends on one of the many giant screens. The thoroughfares remained chock-a-block till 1am, said a source.

Youths zigzagged across the streets on motorbikes. Most threw caution to the wind and were high on victory, or plain alcohol.

Liquor sales soared before the match. While beer was the chosen drink of most cricket enthusiasts, whisky and rum were also demanded in large quantities.

Dakbungalow Road resident Mahesh Sahay said: “Many college students took to the streets after the match. Most of them were inebriated.”

Rakesh Kapoor, an employee of Roshan Brothers, a departmental store in Dakbungalow, said: “The sale was higher than on other days. Youths and young professionals comprised bulk of the buyers. The sale of snacks and soft drinks — for non-drinkers — also went up.” Khagaul resident Manoj Sinha said: “It was good the shops were closed by the time the match ended. The demand was so high that there could have been a riot.”

Most liquor shops had downed shutters by 10pm in accordance with the rules of the Patna district administration.

Students of colleges under Patna University and inmates of the varsity hostels too could not help but joining the festivities, in spite of their ongoing examinations.

Jackson Hostel boarder Navin Yadav said: “Though there was a brief powercut during the match, our enthusiasm was not dampened. We kept ourselves updated with the help of radio and text messages.”

His friend Arvind Kumar said: “We will be fully prepared for the final match. A large television will be set up on the lawn. We will keep inverters on the standby. We do not want to miss a ball of the match.”

Sources said non-vegetarian fare was a must for the finals. Students wanting liquor would go Dutch and get drinks of their choice. Even as the grand preparations for the finals are underway, the hostel residents distributed chocolates to spread the spirit. “We have finished preparing for the exams, now for the finals,” said a hostel boarder.