The best crowd of the tournament

The signs were in place hours before it began. The majority of the people watching the Netherlands-Scotland game were Asian, wearing green or blue. One supporter even had an immaculately preserved lime-green shirt from the 1992 World Cup. The numbers built up as the game progressed and by the time India and Pakistan began practising at half past four, The Oval was almost full. The ICC wanted people to "Catch the Spirit" and it was infectious.

Sitting in an insulated press box was no way to watch the game and so I made my way into the stands. Three things hit me as I stepped through the door - the cold, the clamour and the smell of beer. I've been to a few India-Pakistan games before but had never experienced an atmosphere like this. In India (and I'm pretty sure in Pakistan too) the crowd is partisan, shouting themselves hoarse when their team is doing well but turning silent or even leaving when it isn't.

At The Oval, though, 23,000 people - a full house, we were told - were almost evenly divided in support between the teams, and every ball, even the dots, gave one set of supporters a reason to yell. The fact that it was the first India-Pakistan clash in England since the Champions Trophy in 2004, gave the contest additional edge, unlike in the subcontinent, where fans have watched several matches between the sides in recent years. The crowd was so vocal it seemed like they were cheering a wicket or a six every other ball, when in reality, Pakistan didn't clear the boundary at all, and Rohit Sharma hit the only two sixes of the match.

As India swiftly took control of the game, however, their fans grew dominant, chanting "You're not singing anymore" at their Pakistan counterparts, a line more common at football matches when one team's fans grow silent as the opposition take control. And as Rohit and Gautam Gambhir steamed towards victory, several Pakistan supporters began to leave, with the Indians cheering them towards the exit. A few tempers flared as well. They were still celebrating the match outside pubs as I walked towards Vauxhall station at half past ten. The sad bit is the World Twenty20 has probably had its best crowd already, and it hasn't even begun.