Afghanistan makes his big screen first appearance Saturday morning shows a dormant, suddenly became a big hit with defying a script on paper for them. A team from the war-ravaged, dysfunctional country where half of their players born in refugee camps, they narrowly missed the topic of the 2007 World Cup, but makes up for it with this competition. They have astonished many an associate team through their amazing rise from Division Five to a world occasion. But they know that they will meet - the pace of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh spin, it can be of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh - is nothing like anything they have experienced so far.
India will know Afghanistan is not fairly Bangladesh, but it was a first-game loss seen minnows three years ago that knocked them out of the 50-over World Cup. They have not played a warm-up match this time, know little about their opponents and want to be as aware of their other team-mates, South Africa. On the other hand, that this slow change from IPL to the top level international cricket. A win against Afghanistan, regardless of the margin, more or less secure them a place in next round. Which tournament would love an upset, though?
The only dampener is the time of the match. Nearly all Indian games in this tournament start 9:30 am to 7:00 in India - unlike the usual evening times for matches played in the West Indies. It is clear that TV audience have a preference to the islands hosting the occasion, just three years after a disastrous World Cup organized. Who will "Bring It On" for 9:30 am?
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