By IANS,
Panaji : In one-dayers, a drinks break may come twice in every innings, but in Goa, drink breaks beckoned from every corner Saturday as the India-Sri Lanka cricket World Cup final got underway in Mumbai.
Taverns and eateries in Panaji put their best foot forward to cash in on the cricket fever generated by the clash at the Wankhede Stadium.
At Marietta bar and restaurant, the chairs were out of the dimly-lit interiors and on to the bright and sunny pavement.
Indian flags fluttered and a television set brought home the excitement at the Wankhede.
There were crisp fish cutlets and beef cream cutlets for the tavern’s patrons. For those looking for more zingier snacks, there was beef chilly fry to be polished off with soft bread.
Beer was the flavor of the warm day and cold, watery rings on the tables left behind tell-tale signs of pints of chilled beer devoured.
“The fish cutlets are selling at a faster rate than the Sri Lankan run rate,” Steven Rodrigues, proprietor of Marietta bar and restaurant told IANS as Sri Lanka struggled to score against the disciplined Indian bowling in the early part of the innings.
At Temptation, a hip bar located in Miramar, there was more chaos. Every one of Zaheer’s dot balls were cheered and so were Kumara Sangakara’s silken drives.
“Cricket, it’s cricket for godsakes. We’ll cheer every wicket, every run and every ball bowled,” Alwyn Fernandes said, downing his vodka with cranberry juice.
Just about half-way into the Sri Lankan innings and Goa was already soaking in cricket.
At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, however, the drinks break was still several overs away.