Pakistan vs. India on 19th June: Asia Cup 2010 awaits the clash of the titans
The second game of the Asia Cup 2010 is over where four wickets from Virender Sehwag and a sensible knock of 82 runs by Gautam Gambhir made sure that India reached home with six-wickets to spare against Bangladesh as both teams played their first match of the tournament.
India needed just 168 runs to win, as their openers approached the wicket to start their run chase which was boosted by the disciplined batting performance of Gambhir and thus the Indians reached home with nearly 20 overs to spare.
It wasn’t though that the Indians did not have to ride their luck in the game as Gautam Gambhir was dropped on 48 by Tamim Iqbal before going on and making his 20th ODI half-century from 67 balls. Even skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with 38 runs to make sure that his team did not lose the momentum.
With only one match between the minnows Bangladesh and tournament favourites SriLanka which will be played on the 18th of June 2010, separating the all important clash between India and Pakistan. All eyes are already set towards this tense match and the crowds are expecting a display of good all-round cricket. It is the case every time these two sub-continent neighbours meet.
From Pakistan’s point of view, this game will decide whether they could possibly progress in the tournament or just play their last pool match against the Bengali tigers before packing their bags and leaving. As a result, a do or die game for Pakistan is in store and history would tell that the Pakistani’s have a nag of outperforming any team in the world especially when they have their backs against the wall. A recent example was Pakistan’s performance in this year’s T-20 World Cup when they beat South Africa comprehensively and had a mind boggling semi-final against Australia.
Shahid Afridi, the skipper of the Pakistani unit seemed rightly disappointed with his team’s loss in the first match especially when his sensational century had made sure that Pakistan was well within sights of victory.
Afridi now wants the senior players to show more maturity by playing a stabilizing role in the team and expects players like Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik to stay at the wicket for longer periods.
Commenting on the return of the Rawalpindi express to the team, both the captain and the coach maintain that they are happy with Shoaib Akhtar’s performance so far and that he has been able to make a successful comeback to international cricket after nearly 14 months of staying away from competitive cricket. However they were quick to add that a one off performance cannot assure him a place in the side and if Akhtar wants to remain in the team, he will have to display both consistency and physical fitness.
So that’s how the mood is like in the Pakistani camp. The captain as always remains positive and optimistic with a tinge of unpredictability.
The Indians on the other side say that the match against Pakistan will be a battle of nerves and the team which will handle the pressure better on the given day will win.
India, who has a very good bowling attack, will be relying heavily on their bowlers once again to contain Pakistan’s scoring rate in the all important game to be played on Saturday. Along with that, India has the comfort of having players like Gambhir, who is in great touch and has already displayed his abilities in the first match.
Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni have made their comebacks that on their given day can destroy any bowling line-up.
So the stage is set and with Saturday being a holiday, the mood in both the neighbouring countries will be tense. The traffic on the roads will be thinner than normal while restaurants and sports bars will be packed to the rafters. Those lucky individuals who will be in SriLanka to witness this great encounter are sure to be displaying their national flags and cricket jerseys as whenever Pakistan take on India in a cricket game for fans in both the countries its more than just cricket, it’s a matter of pride that is on stake.
Tags: