India erupts in frenzied celebration after World Cup semis win

Mohali/New Delhi/Mumbai, Mar 31 (PTI) India erupted
into frenzied celebrations after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men
beat arch-rivals Pakistan to reach the cricket World Cup final
with fans bursting firecrackers, distributing sweets and
dancing on the streets till the wee hours of the morning.
Fans across the country, who had been glued to their
television sets during the high-voltage encounter, poured on
to the streets and broke into wild celebrations moments after
India defeated Pakistan by 29 runs in Mohali Wednesday night.
As Misbah-ul-Haq's shot landed in the safe hands of
Virat Kohli at long-on to signal the end of Pakistan innings,
ecstatic fans spilled into the roads, greeting each other and
dancing to the beats of drums, choking key street
intersections and thoroughfares.
Fans who were returning in trains from Mohali after
witnessing the historic victory, screamed their lungs out and
danced till the wee hours clad in their Team India jerseys.
Neither their excitement subside nor their energy
sapped as they shook their legs to numerous bollywood songs
and kept cheering, "Jeet gaya bhai Jeet gaya, India jeet
gaya".
In Delhi, fans who followed the action on big screens,
tiny television sets, radios, desktops and mobile phones, took
the streets, including the iconic India Gate at the stroke of
midnight and lit up the sky with firecrackers.
High fives were exchanged, friends and strangers
climbed into each other, breaking into a dance at the pounding
sound of the drums and the roaring theme of the World Cup
which streamed out of the car stereo sets.
A festive atmosphere prevailed in Mumbai, which will
host the final clash with Sri Lanka on Saturday, as also other
parts of the country. Cricket fans piled on jeeps and other
vehicles, waving the national flag and shouting slogans.
It was Diwali once again in Ranchi, the hometown of
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as hundreds of fans
assembled in front of his house, set off firecrackers and
distributed sweets.
Euphoric scenes were also seen at Behala locality in
south Kolkata, where former India skipper Sourav Ganguly
resides. Those watching the match on the streets on giant
screens, hugged each other and danced to the tune of 'Chakde!
India' and other Bollywood hit numbers.
At the start of the match in the afternoon, the
streets wore a deserted look on a working day.