New Delhi, March 25: The frenzy over a heady World Cup semi-final clash between arch rivals India and Pakistan next Wednesday has entered cyberspace with cricket fans calling it the "mother of all matches" and one enthusiast wishing Paul, the octopus, was around.
One website has even asked the supporters of the two cricket teams to start a "sms war."
With suspense building over who would emerge winner at Mohali near Chandigarh, one blogger rued there was no "Octopus Paul around." India has beaten Pakistan in all their previous four World Cup encounters.
"Too late he died before predicting the winner!!!," the blogger said.
Paul, the psychic octopus in Germany, fascinated millions of fans during the World Cup football matches in South Africa last year correctly picking winners. The octopus died shortly after the end of the tournament.
The two south Asian countries, whose rivalry is considered one of the most intense sports rivalries in the world, may not do battle for another five days but their fans are taking to the Internet in record numbers to dub the high voltage match as one which is more important than even the World Cup final and with national pride at stake.
"For the subcontinent, that is as good as the final," said one blogger, while another said, "PAK INDIA semi! that is what world cup is all about."
Asking cricket fans of the two countries to start a sms war, one website said, "Comments are open for Indian and Pakistani teams supporters… So now lets start sms war b4 semifinal between Pak/India lets see who will win this funny sms war," it said.
Given the excitement and euphoria that surround an Indo-Pak contest, fans from the rival countries have not even shied away from exchanging unpleasantries though some sober views find mention in the blogosphere and social networking site Twitter.
"It is going to be WORLD WAR III in Mohali.....lets wish CRICKET stays the winner...It will be History rewritten," one blogger Nithyanand Paramasivam said.
And an event like a Indo-Pak cricket match, which has been estimated to attract millions of television viewers, has also generated its share of humour in the cyberworld.
Praying for an emphatic Indian victory, a blogger said the Pakistani team can return home quickly.
"Distance from Mohali to Lahore = 230 Kms. Pakistan can save money on flight, they can go by taxi, its cheaper and better for them," one tweet said.
Taimoor Sajid based in Dubai blogged," I do hope that the high-energy, high-emotion India-Pakistan encounter in Mohali offers a great spectacle of fine cricket and the best possible sportsmanship the two South Asian neighbors have to offer."
"Now the mother of ALL the matches!!!," said an Indian blogger, adding, "Encounter in #Mohali is indeed mouth-watering. The accompanying jingoism is the problem. We can do without that. Alas, it's started already."
"THERE IS A STORM Coming And Its COLOUR is GREEN!so watch out ...," a Pakistani blogger said.
"Great semifinal faceoff in the history of cricket," said Jayaraj from Mangalore.
"Blues should make the greens to bleed," said another blogger.
Taking a sober view of the clash, one blogger said, I look forward to great cricket and sportsmanship from both sides, and to a knowledgeable crowd which appreciates good cricket and is very decent. That will be a matter of pride for both the teams and for India.
Another blog said, "The eventual winner would be the team bowling, fielding and batting well. Could it be India, you never know and Pakistan, why not one more time, just wait and see."
"I don't even want to predict result of this semi-final. Nobody can predict I guess. These teams play cricket against each other like a war. Its not about talent or form! its about passion ! I am sure Indo-Pak semi-final will be more exciting than final," wrote an Indian fan on his blog.
In some sarcastic comments, a Pakistani blogger wrote, "There is light at the end of the tunnel for India, but it's that of an incoming train which will run them over."
One tweet said, "The noise will be so loud that they ll be able to hear it on the other side of the border."
Calling the match 'The Final Frontier', a blogger aware of its intensity said, "I won't be able to watch. I don't think my heart can handle it.Is that dedication, obsession, or plain lameness?"
One Indian blogger said, "Pak Bhai Bhai (but at Mohali it will be Bye Bye) Pakistani Bhai." PTI
