ICC World Twenty20: India vs Pakistan 'bigger than the Ashes'

Ravichandran Ashwin says India's rivalry with Pakistan is "bigger than the Ashes" ahead of Saturday's crunch World Twenty20 showdown in Kolkata.

The neighbours have endured periods of political and military conflict since partition in 1947 and their now infrequent showdowns on the cricket pitch can bring both countries to a standstill.

Saturday's match is only taking place as it is part of a tournament held by the International Cricket Council and had to be relocated after fears over security for the Pakistan team.

India spinner Ashwin said the players would try not to get caught up in all the hype but acknowledged that it was no ordinary match.

"This rivalry is huge, it's very hard to put a finger and tell how huge it is. It's probably bigger than the Ashes," he said.

"As far as Indians and Pakistanis go, I don't think they watch this as a game of cricket. It's more of a border rivalry. They put their emotions into the game.

"For the players it's trying to keep their emotions aside and playing the game the best way we can."

India, pre-tournament favourites before a shock defeat to New Zealand in their opener on Tuesday, need to win their second group game to stay in the hunt for the semi-finals.

Live ICC World T20 Cricket

Ashwin though has no doubt in the team's ability to bounce back and go on to become the first team to win the trophy twice.

"I think if ever there is an international team that can put that [the opening loss] behind, it is us," he said. "From here on if we go through we will be probably more dangerous than we were at the start of the tournament."

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said supporters on both sides need to view the match purely in cricketing terms.

"We should take it as a sport," said Younis, whose team beat Bangladesh in their opener. "There is history between the two nations, not only culturally but also cricket history. The way we have played cricket in the past 50 years...it's a treat to watch for the world.

"It's the most watched game. So we should all cherish that and feel proud of it. They can go out of the tournament and that is a big plus for us. They will be under more pressure. We have won our opening game and a lot of things are going in our favour."