Tirupathi: The India-Pakistan cricket match in the World Cup at South Africa has cast a shadow on the temple town of Tirumala too. Normally very crowded during weekends, the hill shrine of Lord Venkateshwara wore a deserted look on March 1, according to sources.

"Despite being a festival day – Mahashivrathri, it is strange that we don't have the usual crowd. This resembles a ghost town, which is indeed a very peculiar situation on a Saturday," sources told Indiainfo.com

With India and Pakistan playing after a gap of nearly three years, the World Cup clash between the Asian sub-continental rivals has indeed generated a lot of interest among the people of both the countries.

India and Pakistan last played each other at the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in May 2000.