Daijiworld Media Network - Sports

Kolkata, Mar 19: 1992, Sydney, Win. 1996, Bengaluru, Win, 1999, Old Trafford, Win. 2003, Centurion, Win. 2007, Durban, Win. 2007, Johannesburg, Win. 2011, Mohali, Win. 2012, Colombo, Win. 2014, Dhaka. Win. 2015, Adelaide, Win. Nine straightforward wins and one tie (which later resulted in a win through a bowl-out), India have the upper hand when it comes to World Cup ties against Pakistan. Be it the 50-over version or the T20 mode, this is one rivalry where the Indians hold the edge. As the 2016 World T20 shifts focus to Kolkata, the past record comes to nothing as the two sub-continental giants get ready to renew their rivalry - one which is better than the Ashes rivalry between Australia and England, so reckons, India's premier spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin. Hello and a warm welcome to one of the biggest pool games of the 2016 World T20, it doesn't get any better than this, it is India up against Pakistan, a match which brings the economies of two countries to a grinding halt.

India have won the toss and have opted to field

Dhoni: 'We will bowl first. The wicket has been under the covers for quite some time, so it might be a bit sticky. It also gives us time to see how it behaves. We are playing with the same side. Past doesn't really matter, but as far as cricket is concerned, you have to be at your best on that particular day. The guys have faced enough fast bowlers all around the world. It will be a challenge for our top-order, they (Pakistan) have some world-class bowlers.'

Afridi: 'It's a good call to bowl first, because the pitch was covered, but now we have to put a decent total on the board. Maybe there is something for the bowlers if you bowl in the right areas. Shehzad and Hafeez are is good form and hopefully they can continue. It's always great to play in India and cricket is like a religion here. We are excited to play this game.'

 
Teams:

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Shahid Afridi(c), Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah

Earlier Update

We are excited and ready to bring you every bit of action, but the rain gods have decided to have their part of the fun as well. Our man, Prakash Govindasreenivasan, has this update. 'Steady drizzle getting heavier by the minute', he says. He can also hear thunder. The entire ground is under covers and it's very murky. The floodlights have taken full effect. Remember, the drainage at the Eden Gardens isn't the best. Fingers crossed, we will have a match tonight.

We will start losing overs if the match doesn't start by 8:15 PM IST. The cut-off time for a 5-over shootout is 10:20 PM. More covers are being removed, the first of them to go is the ones near the straight boundary.

18:15 Local Time, 12:45 GMT, 18:15 IST: 'Rain is back', says Prakash. It's just a steady drizzle, he adds. The super sopper is doing its work, the groundstaff are trying to remove excess water from the covers. The wait continues.. And now he says that the rain has stopped. Huge cheers as one layer of covers near the pitch area is being taken off.

Waqar Younis, Pakistan's coach sounded bullish about the chances of his team getting past the India jinx in World Cup encounters. 11th time lucky? Here's what he said: 'History change bhi hoti hai (history changes too)'.

From the player zone: The pressure is certainly on India, a win - and they will be back in the hunt. A loss though - and the hosts might be the first team to enter the elimination queue, a possibility that's terrifying for a proud nation of a billion supporters. Ravi Ashwin sounded cool and calm on the eve of the match. 'It's not the first time it has happened to us. We have done it in the past. I think we have got the wherewithal to comeback from that game (against New Zealand). That's what we have been looking forward to,' he said.

* Shahid Afridi will be playing his 83rd and (possibly his) last international match against India. Only Sachin Tendulkar (87) has featured more often in India-Pak encounters.

* India lost their only T20I they played in Kolkata by six wickets against England in 2011.
* Umar Gul (11 wickets) has taken the most in India-Pakistan encounters in T20Is.
* Virat Kohli (199 runs) has scored the most for India against Pakistan in T20Is and Hafeez (151 runs) the reverse.
* Both India and Pakistan have four batsmen each with 1000 plus runs in T20Is and all of them are likely to feature in Saturday's match. This will be only the second time, 8 players with 1000 runs play in the same match after INDvPAK at Asia Cup last month.
* In the five World Cups across formats since Jan 2011, India have not lost more than one game in a series.
* Pakistan have won all their four limited overs games (all four ODIs) against India at Kolkata.
* India and Pakistan have met each other 10 times in World Cups across formats with India winning nine and one ending in a tie.

From the stats desk: So, what are the important stats going ahead of today's encounter? Here are a few from our stats editor, Deepu Narayanan.

On the other hand, Pakistan have rarely exuded as much confidence as they have this time around. Batting, their achilles heel, fired against Bangladesh and they racked up a 200 score, only for the second time in their history. Co-incidentally, both their 200 scores have come against Bangladesh. There are positive vibes everywhere. The Asia Cup debacle has long been forgotten, they are the cornered tigers and are hungry for success, they sense an opening, they know that the hosts are vulnerable. It all sets up for a thrilling contest on the cards.

The build-up: India v Pakistan isn't always a straightforward shoot-out though. The on-field battles take centrestage, the points are there to be won, small percentages create huge impact. There are battles to be won or lost. Can Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan nullify the classy Mohammad Amir and the lanky Mohammad Irfan? If so, India usually win most of the times. But there's a cliche though. Dhawan has been hot and cold all season, Yuvraj Singh hasn't been his own self in recent times. Hardik Pandya hasn't chipped in under pressure and skipper MS Dhoni finds himself muddled with uncertainities. There's Virat Kohli still getting all the runs, Rohit Sharma - once in, rarely fails to deliver. But can India be so dependent on their top core?

Venue history: Remember, this match was supposed to be held in Dharamsala, but was later shifted to Kolkata on security grounds. Which team will be most pleased with the change of venue? India? Pakistan? Pakistan won a Test here in 1999, India replied with kind in 2005. The other five Tests have ended in a draw. But when it comes to the 50-over format, Indian fans will not like this stat one bit, the hosts have never beaten Pakistan in four matches. Advantage Pakistan? Or will India have something to say? Or will the weather spoil everything? Wonder if both teams would have wished for this game to be played at its original venue, Dharamsala.

Back to Eden Gardens and back to India-Pakistan men's match now. How are the preparations from both teams ahead of this massive encounter? While India do enjoy a 10-0 winning record against their arch rivals, things haven't gone on smoothly for MS Dhoni and his men in this tournament so far. Touted as the overwhelming favourites, India found themselves dumbfounded against Kane Williamson's New Zealand. Spin is definitely India's strength, but on a surface that was crumbling, the home batsmen had no idea against New Zealand's trioka of tweakers. Bundled out for just 79, their lowest score at home and the joint second lowest score ever, India's status as the top favourites took a severe beating. On the other hand, Pakistan are in the midst of a relaxed environment. They opened their campaign with an emphatic 55-run win over Bangladesh, a result that briefly put them on top of the pool. Shahid Afridi was back in form and when their skipper fires, the team becomes a different entity altogether.