The
mother of all battles. Cricket’s biggest showdown. In short, India vs Pakistan
is much more than a game, and that game just so happens to be only the second
time the two sides meet in the final of a world event!
In many ways, it’s incredible that these two sides are actually meeting on this grand stage after India’s convincing triumph in the group stage, essentially forcing their rivals to go undefeated to stay alive.
But how things have changed in the two weeks since! Pakistan stunned the world’s No. 1 side in South Africa and also destroyed England, the tournament favourite. And what’s a Pakistan winning run without one of those mad scrambles, like the one that came against Sri Lanka? Out of nowhere, Pakistan has lifted itself to set a date with destiny.
In many ways, it’s incredible that these two sides are actually meeting on this grand stage after India’s convincing triumph in the group stage, essentially forcing their rivals to go undefeated to stay alive.
But how things have changed in the two weeks since! Pakistan stunned the world’s No. 1 side in South Africa and also destroyed England, the tournament favourite. And what’s a Pakistan winning run without one of those mad scrambles, like the one that came against Sri Lanka? Out of nowhere, Pakistan has lifted itself to set a date with destiny.
India,
meanwhile, have done exactly what was expected. Apart from a blip against Sri
Lanka, they have been clinical and looked the team to beat in the competition.
The batting has looked as strong as ever, but, incredibly, India now also have
one of the best bowling attacks in world cricket.
In fact, it’s in the bowling department where there’s hardly anything to differentiate between India and Pakistan. Both sides have brilliant pacers who are backed by tidy spinners. They also have a knack of picking wickets in the middle overs – a phase of the game that has turned out to be the most crucial after the new fielding restrictions. India and Pakistan have got 18 wickets each from their four matches between overs 11 and 40.
Where India stands out though is its ability to handle pressure in big matches. In Mickey Arthur’s own words, Pakistan played the occasion last time instead of the opposition. This time, the occasion is much bigger, but Arthur has promised that their plans are based on “us” rather than “them”. If they can do that, the Edgbaston match and all the other previous encounters could well be history.
In fact, it’s in the bowling department where there’s hardly anything to differentiate between India and Pakistan. Both sides have brilliant pacers who are backed by tidy spinners. They also have a knack of picking wickets in the middle overs – a phase of the game that has turned out to be the most crucial after the new fielding restrictions. India and Pakistan have got 18 wickets each from their four matches between overs 11 and 40.
Where India stands out though is its ability to handle pressure in big matches. In Mickey Arthur’s own words, Pakistan played the occasion last time instead of the opposition. This time, the occasion is much bigger, but Arthur has promised that their plans are based on “us” rather than “them”. If they can do that, the Edgbaston match and all the other previous encounters could well be history.
Teams
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (capt), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees.
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (capt), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Junaid Khan, Rumman Raees.
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