Pune: Cricket enthusiasts in the city are gearing up for one big match party as India plays against Australia in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.Some residents have planned elaborate house parties. Others will be attending public match screenings at several locations in the city.It will be so exciting to see two heavy-weights take on each other in the final.I have been following all the matches of the World Cup so far. For this final one, my friends and I have placed friendly bets on run-rate, final score and Man of the Match, Ankit Kedia from Kondhwa said.Advertising professional Nobarun Shome Choudhury has been following Indias performance in the cricket World Cup over the years. Very thrilled to see India in the final. India has had a terrible run in ICC tournaments for almost a decade now. We will turn it around this time, more so because we are playing at home. Overall, it has been a dream-run winning 10 matches on the trot. I hope that we can make it 11, he said.Some residents have planned screenings in their societies so that they can enjoy the match and food together as a community. We are planning to host our watch party at the amphitheatre in our society. It will provide an open air view. There will be a potluck, where people will bring various foods, including paneer tikka, homemade Diwali farsan and sweets, said Amit Baxi from Bavdhan.Several cafes and restaurants will also screen the big match with offers on food and drinks and a lot of freebies for customers today. We have set up a screen and are offering a 25% discount on food and drinks for the final. We are almost booked, Sunil Aryan, the general manager at Popeyes Char Bar in Wakad, said.Officials of many restaurants claimed that most of the available tables had been pre-booked, but still they were expecting a large number of walk-in customers. We have more than 150 bookings for the day/night match, with an all-day buffet for lunch and dinner, along with high tea and drinks. We hope to see more bookings for the day. We have set up a projector and screens to offer a good viewing experience, said Ajitabh Singh, the general manager of St Laurn Hotel, Koregaon Park.The India theme has adorned the turf area of F3 Turf. We are planning to put up posters, large tricolour flags and have brought two dhol tashas that play in stadiums to give a fan-park experience. It is a matter of pride to be a finalist for the World Cup. So we want to give people a memorable experience, said Aakash Sengar, co-founder of F3 Turf, Ravet.Restaurants also have specially-curated World Cup menus and offers. For instance, Conrad has a special World Cup offer of buy one, get one on specific beverages and SOCIAL outlets have a Stad-Yum menu with World Cup themed dishes.Our business has witnessed a 20-30% surge in order volumes during this ongoing event. This Sunday, all SOCIAL outlets will be screening the final match,Divya Aggarwal, the chief growth officer at Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, said.The World Cup final is turning out to be a second Diwali for firecracker sellers in the city. People have taken my phone number and some have even bought crackers for the World Cup final match expecting Indias victory. Until Friday, I have delivered crackers worth almost Rs3,000 to different households in and around Kondhwa and the NIBM Road area, Sanket, a firecracker retailer, said.The excitement of the World Cup has hit a high with residents saving firecrackers to celebrate Indias potential victory. Vijay Singh, who lives in the NIBM Road area, said he had saved some crackers for the final.I have saved some rockets from Diwali. I shall fire them on Sunday evening as I am sure India will lift the cup. I am very excited and all work has been postponed for next week, he said.Maneesh Deshpande from Baner is also all fired up. I shall burst a cracker after the fall of each Australian batsman. A rocket after India wins will be the icing on the cake, he said.(With inputs from Joy Sengupta)

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