The familiar buzz around the Wankhede Stadium is so ubiquitous that it is often mistaken for being cricket-related.

The complex houses the BCCI headquarters, the Mumbai Cricket Association offices and the Garware Pavilion. The place was humming as usual on Friday afternoon, but mainly because of a wedding reception at the MCA lounge.

The presence of a Suryakumar Yadav or a Jasprit Bumrah or an Abhishek Sharma hardly enthused passersby to offer a cursory look at the players during their customary pre-match preparations.

Even the sparkling Marine Drive didn’t take much notice of Team India’s motorcade as it made its way through the traffic-laden promenade before veering into the approach road to the stadium.

The craze surrounding T20 franchise leagues will be largely missing when the 20-team World Cup begins on Saturday. Has the absence of a star-spangled gathering, in the absence of crowd-pullers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, contributed to the fans’ apathy?

Even the 50-over version of the World Cup, a little over two years ago, had promised more drama and curiosity among spectators.

Yet the Wankhede will be full to the brim since India’s evening contest with USA promises a fearless spectacle. To add to the interest, the ICC has put together an extravagant opening ceremony featuring Nora Fatehi and Sivamani, among others.

The joke doing the rounds is that Saturday’s match is between holders of the Aadhaar card and Green card, referring to the majority of first-generation immigrants in Team USA. Their captain, Monank Patel, was born in India along with four other players.

The stakes will be higher for Surya’s team as they aim to be the first to defend the title. Surya is enjoying the “feeling of a leader” on home turf.

“When you’re playing at home, there is always an added pressure. I’m not running away from the fact. To be honest, there will be nerves. There will be pressure. But if you see the positive side, there will be a lot of cheer around,” he said.

“Talking about expectations... Definitely, the way we’ve played in the last 1 or 2 years, people must be expecting the same way... I’ve told my boys... Let’s give them a good time. Let’s give them entertainment.”

Since Gautam Gambhir and Surya’s arrival, the team has been moulded into a well-oiled machine who have been dishing out victories with monotonous regularity. Their clarity of thought, immaculate planning and pinpoint strategy offer various options for any eventuality.

This entertainment bit will drive the crowd to the stadiums, but for Surya’s young India it will be about “staying grounded” and “in the present”. Surya will have to let his “emotions flow” and take the best call in a harsh format.