Cup frenzy catching on

Chennai, Mar 5 (UNI) Six days to go and the world cup frenzy has begun in this cricket crazy city with special activities to greet Team India, such as the one held today at a few places like Loyola College and the IIT.

Sponsored by the television channel CNN IBN, cricket lovers were invited to sign ''all the best team India'' on an 18-foot cricket bat. The response was tremendous as apart from the students, even professors turned cricket fans and signed up on the bat.

The programme is also scheduled to be held at the Elliots beach where dashing former India opener and captain K Srikkanth was slated to participate.

The cricket lovers may be overcome by patriotic feelings and hoping India would bring back the World Cup, which it had won just once in 1983 in England, after faring poorly in the first two editions in 1975 and 1979. But local amateur bookies, inviting stakes on the teams, are not giving any chance to India winning the Cup.

Accordingly, India ranks way below at no 8 with a few of them by way of winning chances. Australia, who had taken the Cup twice in succession in the last two editions, are firm favourites of the bookies to complete a hat-rick. South Africa are the next favourites. In the Asian continet, the chances of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are rated higher.

UNI