Cricket fever has taken hold of Ahmedabad in anticipation of the World Cup group stage showdown on Saturday between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
A visit to hospitals near the match venue in the western Indian city vividly illustrates the level of excitement.
Numerous hospitals have experienced a sudden influx of patients seeking check-ups that include an overnight stay to coincide with the highly anticipated World Cup match. Several doctors have confirmed that the rush for unusual check-up "packages" is a clever way to find affordable accommodation, as hotel booking prices have skyrocketed up to 20 times their usual rates ahead of the match.
"We have come across some cases of people coming to watch the India-Pakistan match also taking an appointment for health check-ups and staying in hospitals," Tushar Patel, the president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association told Reuters.
The Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association has discouraged its members from accommodating such fans, with its president, Bharat Gadhavi, stating: "We have asked our members not to entertain such requests. Hospitals are not meant for non-patients."
While bilateral cricket was affected by geopolitical tensions, the craze for a clash between neighbouring teams that only face each other in multi-team events.
Both India and Pakistan enter the showdown having won their first two matches in the tournament.
The first batch of tickets for Saturday's game sold out within an hour when they went on sale in August, prompting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to release an additional 14,000 tickets earlier this month.
The tickets cost 6,000 Indian rupees ($72.15) to some users. Tickets are being resold at up to 25 times their face value, and four individuals were arrested by city police on Tuesday for selling counterfeit tickets.
Airfare has also surged up to four times, and Indian railways will operate a pair of super-fast trains connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad for the event.
The 134,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium, which hosted former US president Donald Trump in 2020 and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier this year, appears to be the perfect venue for cricket's most intense rivalry.
On Saturday, the city has been declared a "no-drone zone", and 11,000 security personnel will be deployed for the high-profile match, according to Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik.
In their first tour of India since the 2016 T20 World Cup, Pakistan received a warm welcome in Hyderabad, where they played their first two matches. India maintains a perfect 7-0 record against Pakistan at ODI World Cups, and while the rivalry carries the intensity of serious sport, players from both sides share good relations.
During the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka last month, Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi presented a gift to Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for his newborn baby, and the video went viral.
