As the reigning champions, England, take on New Zealand on Thursday (today), cricket fever is rife among fans ahead of the opening of the Cricket World Cup in India.
Even the opposing skippers are anticipating the titanic matchup between the two adversaries on October 14, despite the problematic lead-up.
As Australia's captain Pat Cummins said, "I don't think there are too many events around the world where you feel like half the world is tuning in to watch whenever India plays Pakistan in a World Cup."
India won the competition when it was last held on the subcontinent in 2011.
India is one of the key sides to watch out for, having just won the Asia Cup and boasting superstar batsmen like Virat Kohli, who is only three ODI centuries away from reaching 50.
Australia will also be competing for a sixth world championship, though, thanks to the experience of David Warner and Steve Smith in the batting order.
All ten teams play each other once during the competition, with the top four teams moving on to the semifinals. The championship is held on November 19 in Ahmedabad.
While leading his side into action on Thursday at the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world, England skipper Jos Buttler feels there is no pressure on his team to win the title.
He stated, "We don't feel like we're protecting anything. All of us are starting from the same point and have high aspirations to succeed.
The future is still unclear.
The game's format has been through its biggest confidence crisis in 52 years, making it impossible to predict the game's future, despite the fact that it has demonstrated remarkable success in international competitions and among lucrative franchises.
Ben Stokes, England's top batter, and New Zealand's Williamson, who is currently recuperating from a knee injury, are both anticipated to miss the game due to injuries to their hips.
Standing in for the captain, Tom Latham stated, "Fingers crossed, he's on the park sooner rather than later."
Tim Southee, a seasoned seamer, is also out because he hasn't fully recovered from a dislocated thumb.
Pakistan is making its first trip to India in seven years, following a period of brinksmanship that almost resulted in a World Cup boycott.
Two days before their first warm-up game, the squad acquired their visas, and this set off a domino effect that resulted in nine matches being postponed due to security worries around their match against India.
"I believe that everyone was pleased with how people were reacting to our squad. We've been in Hyderabad for a week, so it's not like we're in India; rather, it seems like home, according to Azam, who is visiting the country for the first time.