March 16, Kolkata: Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and Pakistan’s classical singer Shafaqat Amanat Ali will render the national anthems of the two countries before the start of the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 clash at the Eden Gardens on March 19.
The clash is the start of day-night group B contest
Bachchan confirmed his presence for the match by re-tweeting a Twitter post on Tuesday.
“@SrBachchan to sing national anthem in India-Pakistan World T20 clash”, read the tweet on his official Twitter handle.
73-year-old Big B has sung the national anthem at several sporting events before, including for a special music video to mark Republic Day last year; but T20 appearance is deemed to be the biggest, by far.
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) will also felicitate former cricket stars like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Rahul Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar, on the day.
CAB sources confirmed that Ali will sing Pakistan’s national anthem.
Bachchan Senior and Amanat Ali will of course set up the two teams just perfectly for the on-pitch battle. It will glitter and glamour as much as Cricket at Eden Gardens.
India has never lost a World Cup match against Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan have won the ICC World T20 once each.
Currently India and Pakistan play against each other only in international events. India has refused to resume bilateral cricket with their arch-rivals and the March 19 match has thus gained a lot of importance.
India last beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup last month in Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Ramakrishna VenuGopal