India-Australia match ticket prices soar

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) The prices of tickets for the India vs Australia semifinal match of the cricket World Cup have shot up following a high demand for the blockbuster clash.

The high-octane contest will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday and is expected to be a full house with fans of both teams filling up the 44,000-capacity stadium.

"The prices of the match tickets have gone up quite a lot. When I told some people that I have the match ticket and will be watching the semifinal, they started offering me a lot of money for the ticket," Dhruva Chandra, an Indian engineer working in Sydney, told IANS on Tuesday.

"I bought the ticket for $90 and people are offering me around $1,000 to $1,500 for that ticket now. But I am not going to sell the ticket. It is illegal to sell tickets at increased rates," added the 26-year-old, admitting that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him.

The dollars mentioned are Australian.

Chandra had bought the ticket way back in November not knowing who will play the semis. The 26-year-old admitted that he is quite lucky as he would get to support his home team against the co-hosts that too in the World Cup.

"Indeed I am lucky. It could have been any team playing the semifinal but it turned that India will play Australia. It should be an exciting match," said Chandra, who will be sitting in the Brewongle Concourse stand.

Indian fans are expected to outnumber their Australian counterparts, considering the number of Indians working Down Under and those who have flown in to support the defending champions.

In response to the threat of being swamped by the Indian enthusiasts, Australia captain Michael Clarke and explosive opener David Warner called on his compatriots for home support.

"I call on all Australian cricket lovers to paint the SCG gold on Thursday. We need your support. #goldout," Clarke and Warner had tweeted the same message on March 20.

India had defeated Australia the last time the two teams met in the World Cup when Yuvraj Singh led from the front to oust the then defending champions in the 2011 quarterfinals at Ahmedabad.