The mother of all World T20 matches -- India vs Pakistan -- will be of huge importance to MS Dhoni's team after their loss to New Zealand in the tournament's opener. However, Pakistan, after their impressive win over Bangladesh, will be keen to break their unremarkable record against India, who have defeated the Men in Green in all ICC World (Cup) events.
The highly-anticipated clash was originally scheduled to be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, but had to be shifted to Eden Gardens, Kolkata due to security concerns. Pakistan should be pleased with the new venue, as their record at Eden Gardens against India in coloured clothing is brilliant. They have always emerged triumphant against India at this iconic venue.
However, the hero of the Pakistan's last match, against Bangladesh, Shahid Afridi is not someone to think about their past records. He wants to play some good cricket against India in Kolkata, and win back-to-back World T20 matches.
"I don't want to talk about the past, I don't live in past. I think we should learn from our mistakes. We have done well against these guys and India have been playing good cricket, even with the last loss. We won this match and everyone is feeling good after this win," PTI quoted Afridi as saying.
On the personal front Afridi should be a confident batsman and bowler ahead of the India vs Pakistan clash. The skipper not only scored a brilliant 41 runs from 19 balls but also managed to take two wickets.
"It's a big event as captain, as senior player, I have to lead by example.I love to give chances to the rest of the batsmen. I think in the last two-three series, the batsmen struggled to find runs," Afridi said.
All the Pakistan batsmen and bowlers shone during their first game, and will be eager to come up with a repeat performance against India.
The Men in Blue will have to come with a much better batting performance against Pakistan, who have a solid bowling lineup. India batsmen struggled against the Pakistan pacers in the Asia Cup, though Virat Kohli played a quality knock to help them win the match.
India started the World T20 as favourites, but if they fail to defeat Pakistan in Kolkata, they may find it difficult to reach the semifinals of the competition.
