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Pakistan cricket team warms up during a training session at Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mohali.–AFP Photo
NEW DELHI: A tiny north Indian city has overnight become a hottest tourist destination, drawing Prime Ministers, corporate czars, showbiz celebrities and passionate fans for what is touted as the “mother of all cricket contests”.
Nothing gets bigger in this part of the globe than a cricket match featuring India and Pakistan, who fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The rivalry would be renewed in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final in Mohali in the state of Punjab and the city administration is already bracing for a logistical nightmare. Many government and cricket officials fear the match could be a potential tinderbox given the emotions involved and some have urged the fans and the media not to hype what is essentially a cricket contest.
“It’s like any other match. The media hype around the match, I think, is totally unnecessary,” Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam told CNN-IBN channel.
“We have come here to play cricket. This is not war field or anything. I’m sure you will see a great game of cricket,” said the former Pakistan captain, who has coached the Punjab team in Ranji trophy.
Even South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis hoped the high-profile match would pass without anything untoward.
CRICKET DIPLOMACY
“India v Pakistan in Mohali is a spectacle not to be ignored. Like everyone else, my greatest wish is that the match takes place without any ‘incident’, either on or off the field,” he wrote in a column that appeared in Sunday’s Hindustan Times
newspaper.
Former India pace bowler Javagal Srinath advised the Indian team not to let the “dream semi-final” to distract them from their ultimate goal of winning the title.
“The general perception among the Indian fans that beating Pakistan is the be-all and end-all must change,” Srinath wrote in the same newspaper.
“We have to move out of that line of thinking. As a nation we have evolved and I don’t think there can be any compromise on winning the final.”
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani will watch the match in what is billed as “cricket diplomacy”.
Industry moguls are not lagging behind either.
According to a newspaper report, airport authorities have received requests from business tycoons, including India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani and fellow industrialist Vijay Mallya, to allow them to park their private jets in Chandigarh.
While politicians and Bollywood celebrities will also be in tow, there is a growing sense of anger among the ticket-seeking fans who complained of large-scale black-marketing.
The CNN-IBN channel claimed tickets priced at 15,000 Indian rupees ($335.6) were available in the black market for 100,000 rupees ($2,237), while tickets priced at 10,000 were being sold at five times their original worth.
Both Chandigarh, some 10 km from the stadium, and Mohali are bursting at the seam and around 2000 hotels rooms are proving inadequate to accommodate the visitors and the rush has not ended yet.
Don't be over confident…be positive and practical and watch the till last ball. Never know what will come to your hand… India has good batting line so careful…If Indian bowler will bowl good length and line who will save you guys… So watch the match in Patience…India will win the title. [V] for India.
Are we missing something important here? The news talks about business billionaires and their private Jets, $2K plus ticket price and what not. Cricket match will be won or lost and players will make nice money. But shouldn't ordinary Pakistani aspire for such riches that have been described above. What is better? cricketing win or wealthy and prosperous nation which commands respect and awe in the world? Would like to hear from ordinary Pakistanis what they really wish after they look beyond the fog created by media.
I think our Indian brothers are under estimating Pakistani batting.You will see on this flat wicket Pakistan will put around 300 due to weak Indian bowling.Pakistan has one of the best bowling side of this tournament.We have seen Indian batting collapse thrice in this world cup.We have seen in the past no team with weak bowling has won the tournament.
3 Cheers for a BRILLIANT victory.
Now what? Whose bowling is weak? Whose batting is strong? Who collapsed?
Dont dream so blindly for ur india to win. you guys only think yourself mighty and powerful but you will see in Mohali( where india has never beaten pakistan) who is the real power.
IT IS TIME FOR WHOLE NATION TO SAY YAALI MADAD
AND INSHALLAH MAULA ALI WILL HELP US WIN THE MATCH
I REQUEST DAWN TO PUT IT IN THE HEADLINE OF DAWN NEWS PAPER
SO THAT THE WHOLE NATION SAYS YA ALI MADAD
INSHALLAH PAKISTAN WILL WIN.
AMEEN
i think pak would win and exactly its cricket not war
Inshallah ..fateh hamari hogi ..Allah ke fazl se hamari Hindustan ki team Pakistani bhaiyon ki team ko ek karari shikast degi ..Amen
Pak team is good but i think Indian team is muchh better than tem in batting department…..considering the Mohali pitch being a flat pitch. I feel that the Pak team will be thrashed brutally by the Indian batsmen. I expect a score or around 350 if Indian team bats first. If Pak bats first they will not be able to make more than 250(as they have shown in this world cup so for) and that will be like cake walk for the mighty Indian batting line up. Well done Pakistan…but i think that's it for Pakistan in the world cup.
empirical data supports india;but lets see what comes out after a good game.
to be more specific ,,empirical data of world cup winnings is against Pakistan but overall winnings in ODI against India is supportive to Paksiatan.lets hope for the best…..
All I can say is “poor cricketers”. They are put under unnecessary pressure with all these hypes.
Let the boys play their natural game. Win or loss for one team is inevitable. It is the game that matters.