Survival at stake as India take on Pakistan today

KOLKATA: Jolted by the shock loss to New Zealand in the opening game, India will be fighting a survival battle quite early in the tournament when they take on arch foes Pakistan in what is being seen as the marquee clash of the ICC World T20 here on Saturday. The hosts, who started clear title-favourites, were in for a blow in the first match itself when New Zealand’s spinners bamboozled their famed batting line-up on a turning Nagpur track. As a result, the world No.1 side is staring at an early elimination should it lose to Pakistan in the highvoltage game at the Eden Gardens. As is the case with most India-Pakistan contests, this game too has been preceded by its share of drama. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala but was shifted here after the Himachal government expressed inability to provide security to the Pakistan team owing to protests by ex-servicemen and their families.Next was the delay in Pakistan’s arrival due to security concerns but the side eventually relented after repeated assurances from the BCCI. The political undercurrents aside, the game assumes immense significance for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men after the opening loss. Pakistan, on the other hand, would look to break the jinx of never beating India in an ICC event and they would be buoyed by the comprehensive win over Bangladesh in the tournament-opener. It remains to be seen whether they make it this time too though no home team has ever won the previous five editions of the World Twenty20. As for the rivalry, India may not have lost against Pakistan in a world tournament and Pakistan may not have lost to India in limited overs at the Eden but there’s always a first time. In T20Is head to head, India have a 5-1 win-loss record against Pakistan from seven matches with one being a tie. Given the circumstances, it is hard to pick a favourite but the stage is perfectly set for an enthralling contest which is expected to be played to a full house. Given the circumstances, it is hard to pick a favourite but the stage is perfectly set for an enthralling contest which is expected to be Squads INDIA: MS Dhoni (c and wk), R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh. PAKISTAN: Shahid Afridi (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan, Sharjeel Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Sami, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Amir, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Khurram Manzoor. Match starts 7.30pm IST. played to a full house. (PTI)