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AP
Remember the opening sequence of Slumdog Millionaire where the kids take to the runway and start playing cricket before being chased off by policemen? Well that wasn't a huge stretch of the imagination.
Its fairly common to see people across the subcontinent grab any empty stretch of land, to play a game of cricket.
1 billion viewers reportedly tuned in to watch the India-Pakistan semi-final. Traders in Mumbai and Karachi stopped work early to go watch the game, fans prayed to their deities, and the two countries perhaps took a few important diplomatic steps.
Now, Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani has spent over $1 million on tickets to the final between Sri Lanka and India on Saturday. Tickets are going as high as $10,000. Click on to see photos of the cricket crazy subcontinent.
SRI LANKA: Cricket is a religion in the Indian subcontinent, Here boys play cricket in a neighborhood stairway in Colombo
SRI LANKA: It's common to see locals use empty stretches of land as makeshift fields. This can range from fields to main roads. Here residents of Kimbulla Ela, a poor Colombo neighborhood known for drug trafficking, play cricket in a by-lane
INDIA: Hindu priests dress an idol of Goddess Bhadrakali in the Indian cricket team jersey, to wish the team victory ahead of the ICC World Cup cricket final
INDIA: Cricket often inspires violence in the region. An Indian policeman baton charges a fan queuing to buy tickets for a World Cup match between India and South Africa