All set for six-week competition climax

Watching cricket is the only business that will be going on in India's financial capital on Saturday when Mumbai's favourite son Sachin Tendulkar could raise his stock even further with victory in the World Cup final. The Asian rivals India and Sri Lanka will meet in the climax of the six-week competition at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday in front of a sell-out 33,000 crowd, with millions more fans across the region set to be glued to their television sets.
-- Tendulkar shoulders billion Indian dreams
Government offices will be shut while those in the private sector will have to work, or at least pretend to, before they rush home or go to a pub to watch India fight it out with an equally ambitious Sri Lanka for the ultimate prize in one-day cricket. Some have already visualised a happy ending for India - with Tendulkar scoring his 100th international century en route to winning the only silverware missing from his cupboard. "We all want Sachin to get his 100th century and win it single-handedly," amateur cricketer Sunil Bhave told Reuters as he picked up an assortment of bats, gloves, stumps and pads after playing a match at the city's Azad Maidan.
The leading actor in that film, Aamir Khan, will be among the 33,000 fans lucky enough to get a ringside seat for the final. Kanhaiyalal Tiwari, a betel leaf seller outside Wankhede's gate number four, ruled out the possibility of India losing. "After beating Australia and Pakistan, Sri Lanka should be a pushover. Even if only Virender Sehwag can bat until the 20th over, Sri Lanka can forget winning the match," he said.
As a clock in front of the Wankhede Stadium counted down the final hours to the showpiece match, there was only one topic of conversation among the city's 14 million residents. But in case anyone needed to be reminded about the significance of April 2, a number of blue double-decker buses could be seen coasting along Marine Drive, promoting the "Cup that Counts".
Sachin Tendulkar goes into Saturday's World Cup final against Sri Lanka with a billion Indians hoping he wins the elusive title with his 100th international century. Tendulkar will enter his home turf at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai determined to add the only silverware missing from the collection of the most celebrated cricketer of the modern era.
The Indian star, who turns 38 this month, holds almost all coveted batting records, but not even his individual brilliance could win the ultimate prize in a team sport like cricket. Playing in his sixth and possibly last World Cup, a record he shares with Pakistan great Javed Miandad, Tendulkar has led from the front to lift India into the final.
His 464 runs in the tournament are just three behind Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan's 467, and he goes into the title clash one ton away from recording an unprecedented 100 international centuries. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Tendulkar was not under any extra pressure to deliver. "The entire country has expected a lot from him for the past 22 years and it will not be any different this time," Dhoni said.
"He does not have to prove anything to anyone. There is no point thinking of milestones. He has prepared as well as he does for every match. I am sure he will sleep well tonight and come out fresh tomorrow. "He is just an amazing person and cricketer. His love and passion for the game is fantastic. His attitude towards cricket has not changed for the last 22 years."
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara hoped his team can deny Tendulkar a 100th ton on Saturday. "We're not here to spoil anything," he said. "Everyone understands the importance of scoring runs in a final, whether it is Sachin or anyone else. "It's the first time a player could get to 100 hundreds. All of that adds to the expectations for a World Cup final. Our job is to ensure that the India team doesn't score too many runs."
Tendulkar's lucky 85 in Wednesday's semi-final against Pakistan, when he was dropped four times and survived close leg-before and stumping decisions, suggests he was destined to play the final. "It will be a fantasic occasion," Tendulkar said of the match in his home city. "We will focus on the job in hand and try to get the job done." Both India and Sri Lanka were battling injuries to key players. India will be playing at the refurbished 33,000-capacity Wankhede stadium for the first time, while Sri Lanka know what awaits them having beaten New Zealand by 112 runs in a league match at the ground on March 18.