For Pakistan in India, some dua & mohabbat too

Pakistan are in uncharted territory, and that's saying something considering they have toured India 14 times since Independence, this being their fifth World Cup.

- Somshuvra Laha

2011 gave us abiding memories of cricket's most personal and political rivalry finding a spontaneous and festive confluence at Mohali. In 2016, Shahid Afridi unwittingly stated in front of a jam-packed Eden Gardens press conference room that Pakistan gets more love in India than back home, prompting en masse filing of petitions at Lahore High Court and Javed Miandad baying for his blood from Karachi. It melted India's heart though.

That bonhomie and drama has been systematically pruned, at least at the organisational level.

Barely any fans from home and no traveling press-four journalists have reportedly been granted visas for Saturday's game this has been a strange World Cup for Pakistan. The scheduling of India-Pakistan too gives away an all too blatant desire of weaponising over a lakh fans to psyche out a team of eleven. The dil-dosti bandwagon isn't due for a rerun anytime soon.

And social media is at its worst. But India surprises too.