Cricket World Cup: Emotions high as Pakistan, India face off against each other
Updated 17:27, 09-Jul-2019
The rivalry between India and Pakistan goes back to their partition into two countries back in 1947 and today, it extends to cricket. India and Pakistan face off against each other on Sunday in a much-anticipated match in the Cricket World Cup. As CGTN's Shweta Bajaj reports, it's a contest that generates strong emotions in India.
A cricket tournament in one of India's premier sporting complexes. These passionate young sportsmen are hoping that one day they will become a part of Indian cricket team. 
11-year-old Arnav Puri is part of the under 14 local cricket team. His father is helping make Arnav's dream of becoming a cricketer becomes a reality.
ARNAV PURI INDIAN CRICKETER "I use to go to play lawn tennis to improve my stamina. There I heard the sound of bat ticking the ball. I thought what kind of game is this? How can a batsman hit the ball so hard. And from then I have loved the game."
Arnav can't wait for the India Pakistan match.
ARNAV PURI INDIAN CRICKETER "Pakistan is not as strong as India, I think so because they are an unpredictable team, so they win matches – like one win, one lose."
SHWETA BAJAJ NEW DELHI, INDIA "The passion for cricket in India cuts across age, religion and even economic strata. That's the reason that despite this sweltering heat of over 45 degrees it doesn't stop these young children to come out to play their favourite sport."
Unlike Arnav, 7-year-old Rahul doesn't have the means to get a good training to become a world-class cricketer. But what he lacks in money he makes up with raw passion.
RAHUL ASPIRING CRICKETER "I use to see so many people play cricket. I got curious and wanted to learn more about it. Slowly then cricket became a part of my life."
He and his friends are excited about the Pakistan-India match, one of the boys says the last time India lost against Pakistan, his father broke his television.
It's going to be like a war between Pakistan and India. Every time India loses to Pakistan his father breaks the TV.
When two of the world's best cricketing teams that once belonged to one country play against each other for the people of these countries it's an opportunity to show emotions. As India and Pakistan battle it out in the Cricket World Cup, 1.5 billion people will be watching this rare sporting event with baited breath.
Shweta Bajaj, CGTN, New Delhi, India.