India Wins Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals

At a time when sports bars would be closing, the second semi-final match for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was just beginning. Between India and Pakistan, the winning team would advance to the finals to compete against Sri Lanka on Friday.

Nearly 500 fans inside the banquet hall at the cheered, clapped and jumped up from their seats while watching the live game on two raised screens.

Four years ago, during the last world cup, the ICC had not opened at its Milpitas location yet. On Tuesday night, it was a hub for cricket fans to stay from 2 a.m. until time to go to work (the game isn't expected to end until 10 a.m.).

"Cricket is a big part of life on the Indian subcontinent," said Tanuja Bahal, executive director of the India Community Center. "We do realize a lot of people would be watching at home in any case. We thought it was a great way to bring the community together."

The ICC has opened its doors to cricket fans for several  (ones in which India plays) at 1 or 2 in the morning.

In the crowd with his employees was Milpitas resident Raj Takhar, who played for eight years in the Northern California Cricket Association league. Now he was watching the semi-finals take place at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, India.

"When Pakistan plays India, it's always like a Superbowl," he said. "The passion for cricket is so high, it's like life and death. You want to win that game like there's no tomorrow."

Takhar, owner of three restaurants, including Dosa Place in Fremont, said he was taking the day off Wednesday. 

Kulin Shah, a Cisco employee, said, "I'm going to head out straight to work and walk in at 10 a.m. A lot of people are going to do that."

But soon after star batsman Sachin Tendulkar was out of the game at 85 runs, short of his 100th century, at least one person in the audience left.

"Most of us grew up seeing him play for the last 20 years," said Ravi Battiprolu. Tendulkar, 37, is expected to announce his retirement after the World Cup.

A mile away at Swagat Indian Cuisine, owner Jayaram Komati had a room full of friends watching the match in the wee hours of the morning.

For most of the tech employees, he said, the companies or the managers know about the match and expect them to walk in late. Komati himself planned to start work at 11:30 a.m. in time for the lunch crowd.

"For many Indians, this is the match," Komati said of the rivalry with Pakistan. "Whether we win the cup or not, we don't care."

"But if we lose this, people are going to complain like crazy," said Srikanth Komeru watching the match at the restaurant. "There's been a rivalry for 50 years."

"There's no guarantee," he said, "just luck."