April 2, 2011 8:19 AM

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Nation pulsates for final fight

India will meet Sri Lanka in a high-voltage final of the ICC Cricket World Cup today at the historic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. With this, curtains will come down on the 43-day long biggest cricket extravaganza. Drenched in the blessings of millions of cricket lovers, India will come out with all guns blazing, hoping to regain the coveted Golden trophy after 28 years. Sri Lanka will also battle till their last breath to gift their country the honor after 15 years. In the semi-finals, both India and Sri Lanka held their nerve and defeated their rivals with an impressive all-round performance. While India outclassed Pakistan by 29 runs, Sri Lanka thrashed New Zealand with a stunning 5-wicket victory. Both, India and Sri Lanka have faced each other 7 times in the World Cup, out of which Sri Lanka won on four occasions, Team India won twice and one match was resultless. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has wished Team India all success ahead of the all Asian final contest. Home Minister P Chidambaram said that all arrangements have been made for safe and secure conduct of the final of the World Cup. He told reporters in New Delhi that a multi-layer security is being put in place around the stadium. The air space over and around the venue has been declared a no-flying zone. President Pratibha Patil along with her Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapakse will join millions of cricket fans to enjoy the day-night encounter. Patil has already arrived in Mumbai. She was greeted by the Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan and Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on her arrival in Mumbai. The ICC on Friday lifted the ban on news television channels covering the world cup finals following intervention by Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Cricket's global governing body said in a statement that it will seek legal action against them if they violate media guidelines. It said the ICC would also seek to recover damages through the courts in India rather than bar the channels from the final match. All India Radio will broadcast live commentary on the match. It can be heard on Medium Wave and FM Gold Channel from 2 P.M. onwards.

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