The stage is set.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns in an Asia Cup marquee clash in Dubai in a few hours from now.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
An Indo-Pak encounter is always high octane – transcending the cricket ground – it is about passion, patriotism, and enmity marked by the years-long political acrimony between the two countries over Jammu & Kashmir.
But this time around, the hype has reached unprecedented heights.
The Pahalgam mayhem, followed by Operation Sindoor, has exacerbated the tension which is palpable.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Amid clarion calls to boycott the match, Suryakumar Yadav’s boys will face off with Salman Agha’s team.
On paper, India look hot favourites with the perfect blend of experience and youth in their ranks.
Add to it a host of T20 specialists who can turn a match upside down at any stage.
On the other hand, Pakistan too cannot be counted out – they may have had a mixed run of late, yet against India, it could be a different ball game.
But the match today is not just about the game of cricket.
It’s about two countries set to leave no stone unturned to bring a smile to the faces of their respective countrymen.
It’s a match that would garner vitriolic comments from both sides of the border.
It’s a game that personifies the undying patriotic fervor – ubiquitously present in our hearts.
Don’t lose to India, come what may, even if you don’t win the tournament – that’s from the Pakistani side.
And it’s the other way round from India.
Reports suggest that the juniors in the Indian team are feeling the heat – especially the ones overtly active on social media.
And the team management is trying to pep them up on a war footing.
However, let’s not refute the fact that if we witness feet shaking on the ground or nervous body language from both sides, we shouldn’t be taken aback – it’s just part of the process.
We have had a multitude of India-Pakistan clashes over the years, even amid political and diplomatic animosity.
But this time around, it’s a different scenario.
A loss or victory will culminate in hysterical reactions either way.
The countdown has begun….