Kolkata, Mar 18:
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 Twenty20 here tomorrow.
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 high-voltage game tomorrow 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 Pradesh 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.(PTI)
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