Archrivals India and Pakistan face-off in the Asia Cup on Saturday, in probably one of the most exciting cricket encounter in recent times. It would be a must-win match for the men in green to remain in the contest of having a berth in the final. History reveals that the Green Shirts have a knack of outplaying any team in the world, especially when they are in a do-or-die situation with their backs against the wall. A recent example of this would be their comprehensive win against South Africa, followed by an exciting semi-final against the mighty Australians, in the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
Though India managed a cakewalk against the Bengali Tigers in their opener of the tournament, the men in blue were not up to scratch. The pacers were below par, and a few top-order batsmen did not even fire.
India's trio of fast bowlers, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar, was taken aback by the Bangladesh top-order. Though Ashish Nehra was successful in taking a couple of wickets, the pace trio did not create the overall desired impact. India will most probably stick to its three seamer approach.
Gambhir was India’s star with the bat in their opener against Bangladesh. With Sachin Tendulkar enjoying his family life, Gautam is back to his preferred top-order position. Sehwag can be a perilous player if he gets going, and the Indian side will be praying that he does so in the all-important match on Saturday. Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni can destroy any bowling line-up. Suresh Raina is also in good form, and the Indian side can look to him to deliver if needed.
India will be relying heavily on its impressive seamer attack to restrict Pakistan’s run rate in the crucial match against their archrivals. Harbhajan’s combat against the middle-order of Pakistan can be disastrous. India can build up the pressure if it manages to tame the fire-power of Boom Boom Afridi. Sehwag contributed with 4 wickets in the team’s win against Bangladesh, and that might make Dhoni try him with the ball once again against the Green Shirts.
The Indian management will most probably not make any changes to the side, and will come up with the same squad that played against Bangladesh. But Pakistan is a much more alarming opposition, and the men in blue have to be at their best to appear on top.
Pakistan staged a surprising comeback after their top-order failed against Sri Lanka. It was Boom Boom Afridi who blazed a trail with a marvellous century. However, unluckily it was not enough to defeat the hosts.
On the day against India, the responsibility will be on the top-order to play their due role in a must-win match.
Afridi can be a big threat for India. He is equally threatening with the ball and can fairly be a difficult customer to deal with.
Imran Farhat might replace Shahzaib Hasan, who, along with another youngster Umar Amin, struggled a lot against Sri Lanka. Salman Butt's early dismissal in the match put a lot of pressure on the ODI debutants, who could not form a winning partnership.
Pakistan was good with the ball against the Lankans. The impressive performance of seamers makes it more likely for Saeed Ajmal to sit out once again.
Rawalpindi express Shoaib Akhtar has made a successful return to International cricket after staying away from competitive cricket for almost 14 months. Speedster Akhtar, one of the fastest pacers in the world, will be facing Virender Sehwag, a batsman who loves the ball coming on the bat. If the express pacer manages to get Sehwag out, it can cost the Indians heavily.
The match is scheduled at the Rangiri Stadium. The Dambulla track has always been a major cause of concern for the batsmen, as the slowness of the track makes run-making a tough proposition. However, Sri Lanka’s 313 against Bangladesh shows that a good total can also be expected. Past records show that the teams batting first have won their matches. Let’s see how much the toss contributes in the crucial game of Saturday.
Pakistan and India have played eight times against each other in the Asia Cup, with Pakistan winning four and losing three while one game ended without any result.
Both sides have sufficient firepower in their line-up to blow the other team away. Pakistan certainly has the superior bowling line-up, and if their batsmen put in a half-decent performance, they will be the favourites.
The match between the archrivals will be a battle of nerves, and the side which will manage to handle the pressure better will have the day in its name. All in all, Saturday’s game will be a close contest.
Tags: