Crafted in silver and gilt, the 60-cm ICC World Cup Trophy designed by Gerrard, has been flown in specially from London for the `Pepsi World Cup on Tour' as part of the Pepsi and MTV World Cup Concert series. The series was kicked off in Hyderabad on March 4 by mega star Amitabh Bachchan and others including the Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Ajit Agarkar. For the first time the World Cup is being showcased in such a grandiose manner in different parts of the country long before the event.

Pune too figured on the Pepsi World Cup concert iterinary. A musical extravaganza at the Pune University sports ground to herald the arrival of the cup in the city on Tuesday. Pop artistes Anaida, Kamaal Khan, Usha Uthup, the Graaf sisters from Sewden and Rajeshwari performed at the concert. A state-of-the-art set has been specially created at the University Sports Grounds where the World Cup was unveiled during the concert.

Unit Vice President, Pepsicola India Marketing Company George Kovoor who said Pepsi had market leadership in Pune believed that the arrival of the cup would definitely add bring India's passion for winning the World Cup to a fever pitch. Rival Coco-Cola has launched Coke in the city in a big way by heavily slashing rates to Rs 5 per bottle.

However, Kovoor was not willing to offer any comments on their campaign. He cited the recent ORG survey in the city which underscored the fact that their leadership position in Pune could not be challenged. Kovoor, however kept mum over the money spent by Pepsi on the event.

As a build-up to the concert in Pune, Pepsi had unveiled several promos in the city. Of the thousands of participants for `Get Shot with the Cup', winners got themselves photographed with the World Cup. A dream for every cricketer's , the trophy weighs 11 kg and features a Golden Globe held aloft by three silver columns, styled as stumps and balls represent three essential pillars of the game - batting, bowling and fielding.

The cup will now move to Mumbai, Lucknow and Calcutta. It has already travelled from Vishakapatnam to Chennai, Colombo, Bangalore, Kanpur, New Delhi, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Jaipur. Kovoor maintained that their campaign in Pune would continue focus on the youth.