India-Pak Guwahati ODI

No rivalry off the field: Malik

Nov 4: India and Pakistan cricketers were seen enjoying company of one another during nets session at the Nehru Stadium one day before the match.

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was seen involved in gossip with Harbhajan Singh and later Zahir Khan also joined the duo while Sourav Ganguly was speaking with Mohammed Yousuf in such a mood that it looked like both friends were meeting after a long time.

It is for the first time the two sides are facing each other at the Nehru Stadium and also the first time after the Tewnty20 World Cup final.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik admitted that rivalry was just confined to the ground while outside they were all very good friends.

“Nowadays, we are facing each other frequently. So I personally feel that there is no extra pressure on us. We confine the rivalry to the ground only and off the field we are very good friends,” he said.

The two teams had a 40-minute work out before two separate pre-match conferences.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said both the sides were evenly matched and whoever handles the situation well would have the last laugh. He said the small ground (65 sq yards) could be a nightmare for the bowlers.

Earlier, the IndianOil Cup was unveiled by both the captains at a city hotel in the presence of senior IOC officials and Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson.


Fans fail to see cricketers at nets:

Nov 4: It was a tough day for the crowd that came to witness the cricketers for a little while. The police didn’t allow a single fan inside the stadium to see the two teams at the nets.

Security personnel took extra cautions and did not allow a single person unless he had a pass.

There were restrictions on crowd movement at the B Borooah Road from the morning and once Team India checked in at the nearby hotel, complete ban on movement was imposed on the B Borooah Road.

A crowd of more than 5,000 gathered near the main gate of the RG Baruah Sports Complex when the bus carrying Indian team entered the stadium. The news of the arrival of the Indian team brought in more supporters near the main gate.

Source: The Sentinel