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Pakistan will search for their first win against India in an ICC World Cup event when the arch-rivals clash in a T20 World Cup match at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Saturday. Both India and Pakistan have won the T20 World Cup once before but no team has ever won at home.
Former Test batsman and NDTV expert Sunil Gavaskar has made Pakistan “slightly favourites” in the blockbuster clash after the Green Shirts smashed Bangladesh by 55 runs in their opening game. World No. 1 India, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, lost a low-scoring contest by 47 runs against New Zealand in Nagpur to add more pressure on themselves.
Off the pitch, Afridi’s ‘India Love’ comment generated a lot of controversy. Former Pakistan skipper Javed Miandad slammed Afridi for his pro-Indian comment. Miandad has been Pakistan’s warrior prince and no one knows it better than Gavaskar.
It will be Gavaskar versus Miandad in NDTV’s special show, anchored by Vikram Chandra. Here are the highlights:
# It is the government’s responsibility to give security to players. As Pakistanis we have felt this before but once we land up, there is no security threat. Kolkata has only sports loving people. They are passionate. Sports should not be a war and the world makes fun of us: Javed Miandad
# India didn’t play their last match well. Pakistan did: Miandad
# Amir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan have given India a good name. Can there be more love for you than your motherland? Miandad on Afridi’s ‘India Love’ comment
# What has happened in India in two days that Afridi has said this? Asks Miandad
# Both sides of the border people love cricketers irrespective of teams. Indian love Wasim and Imran; Pakistanis love Virat and Raina. I loved to watch Hanif Mohammad bat. I bunked school to watch him bat: Sunil Gavaskar
# If you really ask the players, there is intensity on the field but off the field, they are friends. I had great friendship with Zaheer (Abbas) and Miandad. We were great friends: Gavaskar
# Pakistan team surely learnt from the past. We have a very good team, very good bowling attack. Afridi has to bat up in the order. He must get maximum overs. He can be a terror: Miandad
# Pakistan will give India tit-for-tat. World Cup is still open: Miandad
# Pakistan team surely learnt from the past. We have a very good team, very good bowling attack. Afridi has to bat up in the order. He must get maximum overs. He can be a terror: Miandad
# Nagpur wicket was unplayable. Anything can happen in a T20 game: Miandad
# If a team scores 180-200, then this game will be a cracker and the pressure will be on India: Gavaskar
# T20 is a game of skills. Shots like reverse sweep and Dilscoop need expertise: Gavaskar
# One man who stood up to the fearsome West Indian pacers was Gavaskar. He is the greatest Indian batsman ever: Miandad
# Right now, political relationship between India and Pakistan are on the mend: Babul Supriyo, Union minister
# In terms of music and in terms of cricket, India and Pakistan should play each other. It eases tension: Babul Supriyo
#Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif saab should walk that extra mile to normalise cricketing ties: Babul Supriyo
Source: NDTV