Probably the biggest sporting event in the world – ever

Most Scots will probably not even know it is taking place, but today one single event in Mohali is likely to end up being the biggest sporting contest in the world – ever.

India are taking on Pakistan in the semi-final of the cricket world cup and the broadcasters think that as many as one in every six people on the planet will tune in to watch. India has a population of 1.18 billion and a large majority of these are expected to watch at least some of the game today. Pakistan is much smaller, with only 170 million people – but again, a large majority are expected to follow the game, most on television. It is difficult to predict with any accuracy what the final viewing figure will be, because so many people will watch on shared television sets, but some experts think the global audience (with ex-pat Indians and Pakistanis the world over tuning in) could top one billion.

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These two countries are the biggest and most passionate cricketing nations in the world. Matches between them always attract big audiences, but this time it is even more important than usual. This the world cup. At stake is a place in the final against sub-continent rivals Sri Lanka – while, for the loser, there will be something approaching disgrace. With such a huge audience, it is perhaps surprising that the advertising rates aren’t higher. It was reported today that ESPN Star Sports, which bought the official broadcasting rights from the International Cricket Council for close to $2 billion, has hiked its rates for ten-second ads in today’s game more than fivefold, to between 1.8 million rupees and 2 million rupees. But that still brings those ads in at between $40,000 and $45,000, which does seem small given the size of the potential audience. For the record, India batted first and, at the time of writing, after a good start, they are losing their way somewhat. Cricketing superstar Sachin Tendulkar looked to be heading for a century, which would be his hundredth international ton, but he was dismissed for 85 when Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi clung on to a catch after two of his team-mates had earlier dropped chances. India had looked set for a score in excess of 300, which would have been very hard for Pakistan to chase, but with six overs to go India were 213 for 6 and it was anyone's game. While the victors will celebrate long into the night, spare a thought for the losers – and in particular, the losing captain. With such passion and interest in both countries, the loser will have nowhere to hide.

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