T20 World Cup / Changed atmosphere in Kashmir before India vs Pakistan match people are saving electricity hoarding food

There is interest and curiosity everywhere for the T20 World Cup 2021 match between India and Pakistan. Kashmir is also no exception to this. The Meteorological Department has forecast rain and snowfall in the entire Kashmir Valley. Due to this people have started preparations for the match. Bashir Ahmed, a 65-year-old retired government employee living in the Budgam district of Kashmir, is supporting Pakistan in the match. He told about the match, 'I am refusing to use inverter battery to my family. There are power cuts this season and I don't want to miss the match. Regarding supporting Pakistan, he said, it is a personal choice. My father is a big fan of Imran Khan and I learned to love cricket from him. But that does not mean that I am with Pakistan as a country. That is the beauty of the game.

For the last two days, heavy rain and snowfall are being seen in entire Kashmir. But even this rain has not been able to dampen the enthusiasm of the fans. The India-Pakistan match is a very emotional affair for many families living in Kashmir. Anyway, these two countries play very little cricket among themselves and this time too the match is happening after almost two years. A lot has changed in Kashmir during this period. Tension has also increased in the relationship between India and Pakistan. But in the midst of all this, Kashmiri people are busy preparing to watch the match. Power back up is being collected. Arrangement for food and drink is also being done at the same place. Ghulam Nabi, a retired teacher who lives in Charari Sharif, said, “There was a time when the entire locality used to gather at our house as only we had TV in our house. But now the situation has changed. Now the match can be seen on mobile as well and other work can also be done.

People used to break TVs and throw fires

Kashmir's famous writer and satirist Zarif Ahmed Zarif recalls the days of the old India-Pakistan matches, saying that whenever the match was held earlier, the roads used to be empty. The whole valley used to be deserted. He said, 'People used to go to their homes even before the match started. There was no T20 format then. If there was a match during the day then the market and office also used to remain closed. I have seen people breaking TVs and throwing firewood in anger and despair, whether they win or lose.

Cricket makes fans experts who give their comments on every single ball. If the desired team of the fans wins, then there will be a lot of celebration and if it does not happen then it will be the opposite. But no matter which team wins, the hearts of many people in Kashmir will be broken. Along with this, many people will also burn firecrackers.