Cricket, India and Pakistan success show ignites Twenty20 World Cup | Mighty 790 KFGO

Author: Amlan Chakraborty

DUBAI (Reuters) – Former champions India and Pakistan will face off at the Twenty20 World Championships in Dubai on Sunday, and the hustle and bustle surrounding the game underscores the appeal of a sequel between the disputed neighbors of the lower continent.

Indian captain Virat Kohli and Pakistani opponent Babar Azam have called it a game, but this is clearly not the case.

Neighboring nuclear-armed neighbors have waged war three times since gaining independence from British colonial rule in the mid-20th century, and are still at odds with Kashmir.

India last hosted Pakistan in the bilateral series in 2013 and the teams now only face up in global tournaments, the last of which is the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.

“I was involved in the games in 2014 and 2016. If you ask me, as a player, it was always a high-pressure game,” former Indian player Suresh Raina wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday.

“In the building, everyone just tells me how big it is.”

“Fans have enjoyed this race over the years and it’s cricket at its best.”

The game’s 17,500 tickets sold out a few hours after the sale, and television channels from both countries host special programs at the match.

“My mailbox is full of match requests,” said Anis Sajan, a Dubai businessman who owned the franchise in the UAE’s domestic T10 tournament, led by England captain Eoin Morgan. -I would say that the match between India and Pakistan is bigger than the Ashes.

“It may have become one-sided late, but emotions are high,” Sajan, vice president of the Danube Group in Dubai, said, referring to the 12-0 record at the Indian Cricket World Cup against Pakistan.

Official broadcaster Star India, which has amassed an impressive number of sponsors for the tournament, recognizes the commercial significance of Sunday’s match.

“The confrontation between India and Pakistan is one of the biggest matches in the sports world,” Sanjog Gupta, Star and Disney’s Indian sports manager, said in a statement.

“The clash at the ICC will attract core and casual cricket fans as well as spectators who don’t watch any other cricket.”

For the first time in Pakistan, the marketplace and retail platform Daraz is streaming the World Cup on its digital platform, and the response has been overwhelming.

“We have seen a huge number of installations and daily active users on our platform,” its CEO Ehsan Saya told Reuters.

“We are very excited to be able to offer free streaming to Pakistanis and we are confident that our team will play their hearts for our country.”

The timing of the game poses a dilemma for fans like Debasish Sarkar, who doesn’t want to miss Sunday’s second match between two line-ups, Manchester United and Liverpool, in the Football Premier League.

“It’s a tricky choice for someone like me who is just as angry about cricket and the Premier League,” Sarkar, director of a global cybersecurity software company, said from Kolkata.

“I’ll probably be watching the India-Pakistan match on TV and watching football on my cell phone. I can’t afford to miss either. “

(Additional report by Raza Hassan in Karachi; edited by Toby Davis)