Saturday fever: Ind-Pak face off!

Does the 50-over ODI match still excite you?

 

There’s excitement for this one, for sure, but honestly, it's not what it used to be. Maybe the rivalry isn’t the same. Maybe we just saw both sides battling in the Asia Cup. Or maybe I miss characters like Shoaib and Inzi. But since it is India vs. Pakistan in the World Cup, I’m trying to bring in some excitement by dwelling into the past, imagining how, as a kid, I watched the one in 1992 and was so tensed till the time Jawed Miandad was still at the crease. Or when I left my exam half way just so that I could watch the 96-quarter final match (and it was worth it thanks to Ajay Jadeja’s knock). And how much did I scream when Sachin hit Shoaib for that six in the 2003 World Cup clash! And yes, how much did we all thank God when Pakistani fielders dropped Sachin four times in one inning. I hope all these memories serve as motivation for me to watch Saturday's encounter.

 

 

I will be at home watching this one and hoping for a super-exciting Saturday and an Indian win.

 

Manasi Narasimhan, marketing and communications professional and former head of IMC - Mastercard South Asia

 

Does the 50-over ODI match still excite you?

With the advent of t-20 cricket, I do feel attention spans have gone down. Can't imagine too many people sitting through 100 overs in a day. That said a World Cup match between India and Pakistan will certainly be watched! And I will say to all of us that the performance of our teams at the Asian games has been nothing short of sensational. I think more of us will watch many more sports alongside cricket. 

 

Roy Menezes, partner and chief creative officer, Centrick

 

Does the 50-over ODI match still excite you?

 

50-over cricket never excited me. In fact the sport does not excite me or draw me in at all. However there is a certain magic about playing our neighbours. There’s always a score to settle and a point to prove. So be it 50 overs or 20 or even a test, we will watch a large chunk of it. 

 

 

What are your Saturday plans, do you plan to watch the match? If so, how/ where?

 

I’ll be watching this match with some diagonally opposite neighbours. In a surf town called Weligama with family and a whole lot of Sri Lankan supporters.