Earth Hour disappointment looms over Indo-Pak World T20 clash

After losing the first World T20 Super 10 clash against New Zealand at Nagpur by 47 runs, India will have to win all their upcoming matches, including the eagerly-awaited one against their arch rivals Pakistan. However, fans at home might not get to see the action for about an hour. Earth Hour, which is observed by switching off lights for an hour between 8.30 pm-9.30 pm, falls on Saturday, the day of the crunch match at Eden Gardens.

The encounter starts at 7.30 pm at the historic ground and Bollywood celebrities too are urging people to observe Earth Hour by watching the match together on a single screen with friends, families and the neighbourhood. B-Town megastar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: “Support #EarthHour2016, watch #IndVSPak with friends on one screen, join campaign Together vsClimateChange.”

However, restaurants in Mumbai will not switch off lights and beam the match live. “Television sets will be on here and fans will get to see the match,” Mohan Pandey, Restaurant Manager of Tap Bar in Andheri, said.

“The match will be on and we are expecting a full house,” Tara Alam, Assistant Restaurant Manager of 3 Wise Monkeys (Khar) added.

“India versus Pakistan is like war for us. We have not got orders to switch off TV sets. If we do, our customers will start screaming,” Chandan Mondal, Shift Manager at United Sports Bar, Ghatkopar said as quoted by DECCAN Chronicle.

Pakistan has never won against India in six 50-over World Cup matches (1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2015). They have also come out second best in four World T20 encounters (two in 2007 and in 2012, 2014) however have never been beaten by the Men in Blue in 4 ODIs at Eden Gardens.