By Avishek Roy,IANS,
Colombo : The talking point at clubs and pubs here is not Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal between Sri Lanka and New Zealand but the high-octane India-Pakistan clash at Mohali Wednesday. The near unanimity is that India will enter the final.
The overwhelming feeling here is that India will get the better of Pakistan and will play Sri Lanka in the final in Mumabi, taking it for granted the island nation’s victory over the Black Caps.
“Sri Lanka will play the final in Mumbai and it will be against India,” said Sanjeewa Jayaweera, who works at a food joint.
The speculation here over the neighbourhood battle is unending, everyone has an opinion and a forceful one at that.
Every Indian, Pakistani or a Bangladeshi journalist is bombarded with questions, expecting answers to suit their analysis.
Even the tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) drivers are interested in knowing what’s going to happen in the big battle at Mohali Wednesday.
“It is going to be the big match. The final, it appears, will be an all-Asian affair,” said Ranjith Gunaratne, a tuk-tuk driver in his broken English.
“Pakistan has been the surprise package of the tournament. Shahid Afridi has completely changed the side as only he could have, but India still are the favourites to win the big battle.”
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‘Sri Lanka can win the cup’
Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Ravindra Pushpakumara, who is now a coach with the Sri Lankan board, fondly remembers being a part of the 1996 World Cup winning team and feels the current side has the potential to repeat the feat in this edition.
“The current side has variety in their bowling attack. We were dependent on only 2-3 bowlers,” he said, comparing the two teams.
“Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravind de Silva played major roles in the 1996 victory. It is something that we can never forget.”
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Rain is likely to stay away from semifinal
Thunderstorms were expected to interfere with Sri Lanka’s quarterfinal match against England and it rained the previous night and in the early hours on the day of the match. Thankfully, the weatherman was proved wrong and the match went off uninterrupted.
The prediction for Tuesday is that though it is going to be partly cloudy, it was expected to be sunny. The news should warm the hearts of fans who will be flocking to see the match at the R. Premadasa stadium.
Many journalists have changed the return journey tickets, so that there are no last-minute hassles in case it rains and the match is re-scheduled for the March 30 reserve day.
But there is another reason behind changing the travel plans: No one wants to miss the action in Mohali by being on a flight.
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Fans can now be a part of World Cup history
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is giving fans across the world the opportunity to bid for the match balls used in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final.
Fans also have the chance to bid for the specially minted coins used for the toss, including in the knockout stages, as well as placing bids on cricket bats autographed among others by Indian heroes Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.