AHMEDABAD – Amid political tensions between Asian cricketing giants Pakistan, and India, rain continues to interrupt the action and millions were disappointed due to showers that marred the high-octane clahs in the Asia Cup this year.
Ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster game in World Cup 2023, there is the possibility of rain. Latest reports from Indian media claimed that showers may affect the much-awaited clash between archrivals.
India Met Office predicted light showers in Ahmedabad and north Gujarat on Saturday and Sunday. The director of the meteorological department in Ahmedabad atmosphere will remain cloudy over the weekend.
Met Official said as the weather is likely to remain dry during the next five days in Gujarat, light showers may occur at isolated places in the Ahmedabad district on October 14, and further mentioned that next day, light rains may occur in Ahmedabad and other northern districts, such as Banaskantha, and Sabarkantha.
The most-anticipated fixture of this iteration of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is upon us. Millions of cricket fans from around the world will tune in to watch great rivals, Pakistan and India, play at the biggest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium, on Saturday.
The contest will mark the first instance of Pakistan and India playing a One-Day International against each other on Indian soil after 10 years. Their last bilateral meeting resulted in Pakistan defeating the hosts 2-1.
Pakistan all set to take on India in the much-awaited World Cup clash
“Efforts like the record chase against Sri Lanka, boost the morale of a side,” Hasan, who is also Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with six scalps at an average of 17.33, said. “There were some fantastic individual and collective performances against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. When you start a tournament with consecutive wins, it boosts your confidence.”
In a high-scoring match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Hasan was the pick of the bowlers from either side with the figures of four for 71 in 10 overs. He removed Kusal Perera in his first over – the second of the innings – and returned in the middle overs to dismiss Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka in consecutive overs before uprooting Sadeera Samarawickrama at the death. Sri Lanka cruised at a handsome run rate and threatened to post a daunting total, but they were not able to because of Hasan’s exploits.
“We were aware of the fact that the pitch was flat and it will be a high-scoring match,” Hasan recalled. “Credit goes to how aggressively Sadeera [Samarawickrama] and [Kusal] Mendis played and pushed us on the back foot. The only way to put them under pressure was by taking their wickets. When I returned to bowl in my second spell, I planned according to the field setting. I used variations at the right time and got the important wicket of Mendis followed by another in the next over. When you take wickets, you stem the flow of runs and we made a good comeback in the game by not giving away many runs in the death overs.”
That he has the experience of bowling in high-pressure environments also played a role.
“The six, seven years’ experience of international cricket obviously helps you and you try to utilise it in an important tournament such as this,” he said. “Being a senior player, there is extra pressure in World Cup. You are always slightly nervous when you enter the ground, but, as an experienced player, it does not take long to become used to the situation. I kept myself relaxed and just focused on my plans.”
