Cricket ahoy!/ Batt(l)ing nerves

Raymond who? Well forget him and forget terrorism or inflation or target killings - nobody seems interested in anything other than he India-Pakistan Semi Final clash. It certainly does not get bigger than this - no sports rivalry comes even close to India-Pakistan cricket matches, especially when it is a semi-final of a World Cup staged in India. Can ask for more - can you?
To say there is massive excitement is an understatement. Never before has the hype around a cricket match been so elevated. The stakes are high on both sides and there is anxiety amongst the fans - spare a thought for the players too. Such is the build-up that the Sri-Lanka/ New Zealand semi-final was almost forgotten.
Needless to say, work will have to take a back seat today, many people will be falling sick to stay at home, markets will be barren and the roads will be easy to drive on. Productivity will also, undoubtedly, decrease, save for, perhaps, the cellular companies, as millions of text messages have been circulating regarding the semi-final, and businesses involved in food and drinks.
What to expect from the game itself? Experts have divided opinions as to who will emerge victorious - but there is consensus on the point that it will be battle of nerves and whoever handles it best will be at an advantage. Statistics may not matter a great deal on the field, but one particular piece of fact remains that India is yet to lose a World Cup game to Pakistan - beating the arch rivals four out of four times in the previous meetings.
A major difference this time, though, is that Pakistan, unlike the other four occasions, will enter the game without the favourite tag - which, perhaps, jinxed them in the past. The pressure will undoubtedly be on the Indians who on paper appear to be the stronger team and also have the home advantage - something that can play against you in high pressure games.
Pakistani fans can take heart of the fact that their record in India is a pretty good one - with an impressive 17 wins in 26 games. Looking at the numbers, one can safely say that when it is about rising up to the occasion, Pakistan has fared better, winning seven times out of ten in the knockout stage of any tournament against India.
Many eyes will also be focussed on how Indias premier batsman Sachin Tendulkar fares in the game. He is just one short of reaching an unbelievable century of centuries, but his overall record playing against Pakistan at Indian soil does not make good reading - averaging a modest 32 versus his career average of 45.
But here is the catch; let Sachin score the century that the whole of India so desperately wants. After all, only one of his five centuries against Pakistan has given India a win. It is accepted that Pakistans batting line is considerably weak in comparison, but it somehow manages to raise the bar against the rivals as Indias bowling spearheads Zaheer and Harbhajan have a woeful record against Pakistan - averaging 42 and 63 runs per wicket, respectively.
Over a billion eyes will be glued to the TV sets today, and there will be joy and sorrow on either side of the border.
If Pakistan win tonight, be rest assured of clogged highways, celebratory gunshots and a possible hang-up of the cellular network. As for the government: Oh boy! What wouldn it give for Pakistan to win - as the cricketing victory is perhaps the only diversion the government can have to increase petrol prices to the fullest tomorrow, without having fingers pointed at them.