Pakistan v India - time to rumble – Opinion
Finally, the mother of all cricket matches is about to take place between the giants of subcontinent Pakistan and India.
Although this will only be a three-match ODI series, its importance is high as it has come after 2008 when cricketing ties between the arch rivals were suspended due to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 terror attacks.
India’s decision to suspend ties back then was criticised by some while supported by others, however, for the sake of the game it might have been better to leave international politics out of sports.
While the two countries have gone to war almost four times, yet they have a history of playing against each other in high intensity bilateral series. But this time things were different and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 chose to ignore its biggest foe.
Nonetheless, with the efforts of the International Cricket Council (http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), things are heading towards normalization and the first step has come in the form of this 50-over series.
Sharjah used to be the hub of India, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 games but India does not play Sharjah Cups anymore. Other than Sharjah, the Sahara Cup was also a place to see cricketers from both sides go at each other, but that is also a thing of the past.
The last time Pakistan toured India, they won under the captaincy of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Anwar-c87864, Inzamam ul Haq and many more, however this year when they set foot on Indian soil they will have a new team which
could see only http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 as the lone survivor of the last tour.
This Pakistan contingent is definitely not as good as their opponents, who are the reigning ICC ODI Champions. India are at their very best these days and would only be troubled if equally matched by the opposition.
While Pakistan has a history of getting off to impressive starts against India, have later crumbled to scores that by no means are good enough to intimidate India’s mighty batting line-up.
Pakistan need to prepare well before their departure because a collective effort in all departments will put them ahead of the hosts otherwise this series is bound to be disastrous for the Men in Green.
The Greens will have to rely on their batting to get them to scores good enough to defend, but their bowling has been dealt with in the past which means that the Indians would not be threatened by Pakistan’s current bowling arsenal.
Pacers will have to deliver as spin bowling will not be that effective against the Indian batsmen who play spin better than any other team in the world.
The problem for Pakistan is that for almost the last one year they have been heavily depending on their spinners which might cost them dearly in December.
India on the other hand, cannot take anything lightly as they are aware that a defeat would not be welcomed by their countrymen.
On paper they have everything covered but nothing is ever final in a Pakistan India game. What happens on the field is always unpredictable in the matches between these two teams.
No matter what happens fans from both sides of the border are bound to enjoy this upcoming clash.
The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: