The stage was set for the high-voltage clash between Pakistan and India to take place in Ahmedabad city, home to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after whom the venue of today's game has been named.
But what left spectators back home feeling goosebumps was the moment Pakistan's national anthem played in the stadium, as the Green Shirts lined up for its recital.
Fans of the Babar Azam-led side were left fascinated, as the verses left them rejuvenated.
India skipper Rohit Sharma on Saturday won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in a blockbuster World Cup match expected to be attended by 120,000 fans.
Opening batter Shubman Gill returns to the team and takes the place of Ishan Kishan after recovering from dengue fever and missing the first two matches.
"Cannot get bigger than this, fantastic atmosphere," Rohit said at the toss as the home crowd roared.
"Sure lot of us are going to experience something really extraordinary."
Favourites India come into the match unbeaten with victories over five-time winners Australia and Afghanistan.
Pakistan, who also won their two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, come in unchanged from their previous win.
Against Sri Lanka, they chased down a World Cup record of 345 in Hyderabad.
Skipper Babar Azam said he would have also fielded first had he won the toss.
"We also wanted to bowl first," he said. "We have had good two wins, momentum and confidence is high. Jam-packed stadium, we will enjoy it."
The world´s biggest cricket stadium was a sea of blue due to a largely Indian presence after Pakistan fans from across the boder were unable to secure visas.
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf
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