"For me, I did not find anything controversial in it. This is something he felt. It's his emotions."
It has traditionally been a battle between India's batting and Pakistan's bowling whenever the arch-rivals have met on a cricket field and Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi reckons the trend will continue in their World Twenty20 contest on Saturday. The Pakistan captain is looking to bank on his team's winning record against India the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Pakistan have defeated India in all four matches that have played at the Eden Gardens. "We have good memories of the ground," Afridi said. "We have played well at this ground, we know the conditions and the pitch suits us as well." Pakistan were the last team to land in India, putting aside safety concerns that led to the switching of their match against India from Dharamsala to Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
'We are taking a lot of positives from the tournament as we have a played the final which is a huge achievement' 'It was a huge scope for us (Asia Cup) but then a lot of people did not expect us to reach the finals but we did reach the finals'
Floored by the warm reception in India after their arrival for the World Twenty20 Championship, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and senior all-rounder Shoaib Malik on Sunday said they have never felt any security threat in the country. The Pakistani team touched down here last night after getting government clearance to travel, a decision that was delayed by several days over security concerns. In fact, Pakistan's marquee World T20 clash against India on March 19 had be moved from Dharamsala to Kolkata after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh expressed his inability to provide adequate security cover in the wake of protests by the state's ex-servicemen. However, both Afridi and Malik played down the intense media focus on Pakistan's security. "I've not enjoyed playing anywhere as much as I have in India. I am in the last stage of my career and I can say that the love I have got in India is something that I will always remember. We have not got this much love even from Pakistan," Afridi said.
Most of the cricketing world might swear by the finishing skills of Indian limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni but former opener Gautam Gambhir feels it is Virat Kohli who deserves the tag of being the side's finisher.
Another twist in the tale was that there were some undercover Pakistan intelligence officials who were sent to keep an eye on the players as the side has suffered badly because of spot-fixing and match-fixing in the past few years.
Real Madrid have endured a miserable season since Zinedine Zidane left in May, first sacking Julen Lopetegui and then Santiago Solari.
Test captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are likely to be rested for India's tour of Zimbabwe, but there is no confirmation on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's availability for the short series, starting June 11. India will play three ODIs and two T20 Internationals during the series which marks the end of the season.
'A lot of people had problems in adjusting with the change of time and it affected their sleeping pattern'
Amid the furore generated by Virat Kohli's abusive behaviour with an Indian journalist, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin tried to defuse the tension.
Pleased by Indian bowler's performance during the game against Pakistan Team India director Ravi Shastri said that it will serve them well if bowlers were to replicate their performance in the rest of the tournament.
Afridi has said that previous defeats in the cricket World Cup against India will not matter.
'I was merely trying to give a positive message to the rest of the world that we enjoy a lot when we play in India.'
The Indian Premier League has given players an idea of how to cope with pressure situations, especially in the knockout stages, feels India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan has slammed the team's performance at the Asia Cup but admitted it was too late to make sweeping changes ahead of the World Twenty20 this month.
The vagaries of the World Cup draw may have helped Pakistan rediscover their swagger at just the right time to push them to the brink of a quarter-final, according to captain Misbah ul-Haq.
The threat of West Indies being forced to field a second string side at the World Twenty20 was averted on Sunday when 12 of 13 players in the original squad signed the contracts which had caused a standoff with the board.
"The bench strength will warm the bench," is what the captain MS Dhoni had declared after India had beaten West Indies in Perth.
Senior Pakistan batsman Younis Khan, toast of the nation three months ago after reeling off four Test hundreds, has become the target of criticism after the team's humiliating World Cup losses with senior players calling on him to retire.
Opening the bowling for Pakistan in a World Cup match with India is enough to get any paceman excited. For Sohail Khan, playing his first international since September 2011, that excitement briefly got the better of him on Sunday.
The key player from Pakistan, says former India captain Rahul Dravid, is Mohammad Irfan. 'Having watched him bowl just recently, I believe he is going to pose a challenge to the Indian batsmen.'
From Eden Gardens to Centurion, Shoaib Akhtar has had many memorable on-field battles with India's batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and he feels that Mohammed Aamir and Virat Kohli's face-offs will also go down the cricket history as one of the epic duels.
Senior Board of Control for Cricket in India functionary Rajeev Shukla says the decision to give Team Director Ravi Shastri an extension till the 2016 World Cup was based on his good performance and rapport with the players.
"I am concerned but I don't think wickets itself are a reflection of performance. Take for example, India pacer (Mohammed) Shami's case in England. He bowled well but couldn't get wickets. I have spoken to him (Aamir) and told him that he is our strike bowler and has to pick wickets too. Hope he does that tomorrow," Sarfraz told reporters.
The enormity of the Indo-Pak rivalry is not lost on R Ashwin, who considers it bigger than the Ashes but the Indian off-spinner also feels that players will have to keep their emotions in check during Saturday's high-voltage World Twenty20 clash in Kolkata.
Atletico Madrid earned a 1-1 draw away to Girona in a chaotic and entertaining Copa del Rey last 16 first-leg match on Wednesday, leaving the tie finely balanced.
India will look to plug the chinks in its armoury and provide finishing touches to its preparation for the four-Test series when it takes on the West Indies Cricket Board Presidents' XI in the final warm-up match, starting in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Thursday.
Pakistan's flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi has ruled out any chance of making a comeback to ODIs.
Cricketing legends Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram and Sourav Ganguly have heaped praise on Virat Kohli with one comparing India's batting mainstay to tennis great John McEnroe and another saying that his value in the team is more than his teammates.
Virat Kohli termed Mahendra Singh Dhoni the "best finisher in the world" after the India skipper made short work of Bangladesh with a flurry of sixes and boundaries in the final of the Asia Cup in Mirpur.
Federico Valverde has already made over 100 appearances at senior level - while winning silverware and recognition both with his current side Madrid and country Uruguay, and showing the physical, technical and mental attributes to become one of world football's outstanding midfielders.
The in-form Rohit Sharma says being entrusted with the task of opening the innings in limited overs cricket has put added responsibility on his shoulders. Continuing his rich vein of form, Rohit struck a blazing 83 to lay the foundation for India's crushing win over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup T20 opener in Mirpur on Wednesday. "Batting at the top of the order has put up added responsibility on my shoulders. Being a top order batsman, it is a responsibility to get the team to a good score and make winning matches a habit," Rohit said. He added, "Experiences play a huge part in this game. The more cricket you play, the more experience you get as to how you need to build your innings, what is required by the team and identifying your game etc. These things have helped me a lot in the past."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that the trio of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Mohit Sharma should not be forced to play domestic games.
Statistical highlights of the cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan.
Real are third in the league standings with 54 points after 28 games, two behind second-placed Atletico Madrid who visit Athletic Bilbao later on Saturday and nine points behind leaders Barcelona who play at Real Betis on Sunday.
Outraged by the quality of umpiring in Bangladesh's World Cup quarter-final loss to India in Melbourne, the country's Cricket Board is all set to lodge a protest in the ICC and has got the backing of the governing body's President AHM Mustafa Kamal, who said the on-field officiating was "very poor".
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni made no excuses for India's 95-run loss to Australia in the World Cup semi-finals but said the fast bowlers could have done "slightly better" and Shikhar Dhawan should not have attempted a big shot when they were going smoothly.
No Indian cricketer figures in the ICC's World Cup XI, which is dominated by runners-up New Zealand rather than champions Australia.
Like a racehorse trained to peak for the big race after months of preparation, India's cricketers are confident they have timed their run to perfection at the World Cup.
With tempers expecting to reach the ugliest limits during the India-Pakistan World Cup match, the Adelaide administration has issued a 85-point "code of conduct" for spectators - one that specifically bars religious messages and anti-national chants.
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