Pakistan aim to break India jinx in high-stakes World Cup clash today

India and Pakistan are bitter adversaries and only play against each other in international tournaments due to longstanding political tensions.

Any meeting between them always raises fan interest with millions watching around the globe in a bonanza for broadcasters and sponsors.

Fans desperate to watch the match have even booked beds in city hospital wards after hotels ran out of rooms.

By signing up for health check-ups and overnight stays in private hospitals, the accommodation has proved a cheaper option with some hotels hiking rates by as much as 10 times.

Both teams remain unbeaten coming into the match at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, named after the Indian prime minister.

As per international media reports, the 132,000-capacity stadium would host around 115,000 to 120,000 fans with some seats lost due to ramps and stage set up for a pre-game concert.

The number could be a record for any cricket match around the globe and surpass the previous figure of 104,859, which turned out to watch last year’s Indian Premier League final at the same venue.

Pakistan nationals are still awaiting their India visa and only a handful of Pakistani fans, who have British and US passports, have turned up to watch the game.

Weather Conditions

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has indicated that there are no signs of rainfall in Ahmedabad on Saturday. As per IMD, the sky will be clear and there is no possibility of rain.

This is Pakistan’s first match after their record World Cup chase of 345 against Sri Lanka, with wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan scoring an unbeaten 131 and Abdullah Shafique making 113.

“We now have momentum,” Rizwan said after his man of the match show in Hyderabad. “But they will also come with a plan, we will also come with a plan.”

Team Line up

India: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jaspit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf Pakistan boast a fiery bowling attack led by left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi but they still conceded 344 runs to Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Security Concerns

The Indian authorities are deploying 11,000 police officers to keep order – around one for every 11 spectators as the Indo-Pak match brought forward a day from its original date, which coincided with a major Hindu festival in the city.

The match is sold out with media reporting that scalpers are asking for eight times the original price for tickets.