MELBOURNE: Melbourne has been decked up to welcome the 'Men in Blue' for their clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, with the city administration going out of the way to paint the city in various shades of vibrant blue to go with the India team jersey.
The Higson Lane in the city is seeing a profusion of colours with some of the best mural artists in Melbourne making the street look as if it is the home of Indian cricket.
The city's administration posted a video of the beautiful murals of Indian stars such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya with several craftsmen giving final touches with their paint brushes and assortment of colours.
"Welcome to Melbourne @BCCI. We've decided to mark the occasion by creating a @ICC @T20WorldCup street art mural ft. @ImRo45, @imVkohli, @hardikpandya7 & the @MCG. See you in Higson Lane for a quick (camera symbol, inviting the Indian players for a photo-op)? We'll bring the coffee! #T20WorldCup #INDvPAK," tweeted the Melbourne city administration.
The city's administration has also invited Kohli, Sharma and Pandya for a photo-shoot and an interaction over coffee. But it's unlikely the Indian stars will be able to see their giant-sized murals any time before the blockbuster match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Groung (MCG) where more than 100,000 spectators are expected to watch the Super 12 game between the arch-rivals on Sunday.
Indian fans have been bowled over by the Melbourne city administrations gesture, with one of them saying, "Such a sweet and special gesture! Thank you @Melbourne on behalf of all ICT (Indian cricket) fans," while another wrote, "Loved the little rangolis made."
Rangolis are part of festivities during Diwali and the artists have painted several of them to go with the murals on the high walls of the street.
Pakistan not getting a similar 'mural' reception did not go down well with a few fans, with one of them tweeting, "For your peace of mind, please welcome pcb (Pakistan Cricket Board) as well." IANS
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