Watch: Pakistan team receives traditional warm welcome in Ahmedabad

NEW DELHI: The renowned Indian hospitality once again shone brightly as the Pakistan squad was given a grand reception at their team hotel in Ahmedabad, following a jubilant in-flight celebration. This warm welcome preceded their highly anticipated World Cup clash against arch-rivals India.
Upon their arrival at the hotel, the Pakistan players were greeted with a gracious reception that included a shower of flower petals, colorful balloons, traditional scarves, the lively beats of dhols, and an energetic dance performance.

Subsequently, a cake cutting ceremony was organized by the cabin crew of the airline that had flown them in from Hyderabad.

The

Pakistan Cricket Board

(

PCB

) expressed their delight at the reception their players received by posting a video on social media, capturing these memorable moments.

"Touchdown Ahmedabad. Capturing the journey, featuring a surprise in-flight celebration," the PCB captioned the video.

Tight security has been put in place for the high-profile match to be played on Saturday.
The city had been turned into a fortress and it will be secured by more than 11,000 members of the Gujarat police, National Security Guard (NSG), Rapid Action Force (RAF) and home guards.
Pakistan were based in Hyderabad since their arrival in India after a gap of seven years, playing four games including two warm-up clashes and continued to receive a lot of attention from fans and the media.

The Babar Azam-led side felt being 'at home' in Hyderabad as a large crowd in support of the neighbours turned up at the airport on September 27, and particularly for their last match at the stadium in Uppal against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan are coming into the match after a comprehensive win over Sri Lanka in which they pulled off the highest run chase in the history of the World Cup.
Batting second in Hyderabad, Pakistan were set a daunting target of 345 by Sri Lanka after centuries from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
However, the Pakistan team chased it down with six wickets in hand, courtesy blazing tons by Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan.
The hosts India, too, will enter the contest on the back of two comfortable victories against Australia and Afghanistan.
(With PTI Inputs)