AHMEDABAD, India: Cricket’s most famous rivalry continues as hosts India take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing World Cup in Ahmedabad.
Saturday’s match has been billed as the “blockbuster” of the tournament – millions will be watching the clash and the 132,000-capacity stadium is expected to be packed.
Both sides started the tournament confidently, winning their first two matches.
But India vs Pakistan is one competition where past performances do not guarantee a win. It is the ultimate test of skill, preparation, strategy and above all, nerve.
With millions of cheering fans seeing the match as a war, it’s about the ability of the players to keep the noise out and treat it like any other game.
Both teams have players capable of producing performances befitting the monumental occasion.
India will start as firm favorites thanks to their incredible record of winning all seven World Cup matches against Pakistan.
But the guests are unpredictable.
They entered the Asia Cup in September as the world’s best one-day team, but were knocked out in the semi-finals. But when it’s their day, Pakistan can dismantle any side.
Their batting prowess revolves around their charismatic but often underrated captain Babar Azam. His sublime stroke play is a treat to watch, but what makes him stand out is his ability to switch effortlessly.
He walks through his shifts quietly, almost as if hiding from plain sight. Before his opponents realize what is happening, his score has reached 50 or 60 and then he starts hitting fours and sixes at will. Even on the field, he remains calm and gives little away – no matter how the match is going.
India should also take note of his average in one-day internationals, which stands at 70 since the last World Cup in 2019.
If he goes, India will be in trouble. But it is not the only obstacle for them.
Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan is in fine form – scoring an unbeaten 131 to help his side chase Sri Lanka’s formidable target of 344 on Tuesday.
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In the game, Abdullah Shafique scored a century, solidifying his position in international cricket.
Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman are also capable of making things challenging for India. In the event that Rizwan and Babar both suffer cheap falls, it will be interesting to watch if they can rebuild the innings.
If India manage to get through the top easily, they will look to exploit the perceived weakness of Pakistan’s middle order.
But if the visitors lack batting, their bowling could make up for it.
Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan and Virat Kohli of India during the Asia Cup Super Four match between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium on September 11, 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s bowlers were sub-par against Sri Lanka and were not helped by the team’s sloppy fielding. But a match against India is a theater where every player wants to give their best performance. And that is the catalyst that Pakistan’s bowlers might need to fend off.
It is often said that Pakistan is a ‘factory’ for fast bowlers as they consistently produce pacers who have either raw speed or swing skills that are almost like an art form.
Shaheen Shah Afridi has both. His impeccable ability to consistently mix in the right areas and set up batters for breakouts is now well known.
India will look to either play him quietly or launch an attack to humble him early on.
Pakistan will miss Naseem Shah as he is out with injury but Afridi will find wild partners in Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali.
Their spin department relies heavily on Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, but there are questions whether they can trouble the Indian batsmen as much as their pace counterparts.
India’s star-studded batting line-up has the quality to silence Pakistan’s attack, especially the spinners.
Captain Rohit Sharma, who showed his classy and destructive skills with a 63-ball century against Afghanistan on Wednesday, is most likely to open the innings with left-handed batsman Ishan Kishan.
But he will miss his regular opening partner Shubman Gill if illness forces him to miss the match. Gill has been in top form and his absence will be felt but India have enough bench strength to replace him.
Rohit was piling up the runs to the delight of the Indian fans. He showed signs of good form with his seamless cover runs, thunderous sixes and fearless shots.
A single Indian captain can take the game away from Pakistan if he sets his mind to it. He is an opener who likes to play deep and finish games. The right-hander has scored five centuries – the most by any batsman at the World Cup – in 2019.
But if Pakistan manage to get past Rohit, they will face one of the all-time greats – Virat Kohli.
He is a formidable opponent for Pakistan. Just last month, he scored a fluent table against them in the Asia Cup to help his team record an emphatic victory.
Few can forget his master class innings where he scored 82 to help India chase down 160 in the 2022 FIFA T20 World Cup against Pakistan.
Many fans call him the ‘messiah’ who turns up every time India needs him to perform. His ability to fight till the end often motivates other players around him – KL Rahul is an example.
Rahul was another centurion against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in September. When India found themselves in deep trouble last week after losing three wickets for two runs in their World Cup opener against Australia, the team once again looked to the ‘messiah’ to deliver – and he did.
Once again it was Rahul at the other end as the duo batted almost to the finish line to guide their team to the 200 mark on a difficult wicket.
The batting that follows Rohit, Rahul and Kohli offers no reprieve either.
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But if Pakistan manage to get past Rohit, they will face one of the all-time greats – Virat Kohli.
He is a formidable opponent for Pakistan. Just last month, he scored a fluent table against them in the Asia Cup to help his team record an emphatic victory.
Few can forget his master class innings where he scored 82 to help India chase down 160 in the 2022 FIFA T20 World Cup against Pakistan.
Many fans call him the ‘messiah’ who turns up every time India needs him to perform. His ability to fight till the end often motivates other players around him – KL Rahul is an example.
Rahul was another centurion against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in September. When India found themselves in deep trouble last week after losing three wickets for two runs in their World Cup opener against Australia, the team once again looked to the ‘messiah’ to deliver – and he did.
Once again it was Rahul at the other end as the duo batted almost to the finish line to guide their team to the 200 mark on a difficult wicket.
The batting that follows Rohit, Rahul and Kohli offers no reprieve either. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav are stylish batsmen who can run the anchor when needed and also go into attack mode when needed.
Then there are dangerous all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja who can provide India with late breakthroughs and finish games.
The matches between the neighbors are often seen as a match between India’s famous batsmen and Pakistan’s ferocious bowling attack.
But that is no longer the case. Today, India has an enviable bowling line-up that has the ability to overcome Pakistan’s batting.
Jasprit Bumrah is almost unplayable when he finds his rhythm and has been in good form since returning from a long injury lay-off. His partners Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are different in nature but can take crucial wickets when needed.
While Shami believes in controlled aggression, Siraj is all about heart and pace. But India may not go with all three pacers if the Narendra Modi Stadium wicket offers spin.
In the spin department, Kuldeep Yadav was a revelation. His return to the team was sensational. In the Asia Cup match, he made Pakistan’s batting sweat for every run and finished the match with five wickets to help India record an emphatic 228-run victory.
Then there is Jadeja and veteran R Ashwin who can hamper Pakistan’s innings with their accurate bowling. The trick, however, lies in getting the combination right – whether Rohit goes with three pacers and two spinners or vice versa will be a tough decision.
Teams are likely to wait until the last minute to fine-tune their strategy. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that the fans will see a good game of cricket.
