After destroying Australia’s dominance in World Cups, it’s time for “TEAM INDIA” to take on their arch-rivals Pakistan at Mohali on 30th March 2011 in a match that will determine who will be in Mumbai on 2nd April for the Final. Looking at the hype surrounding the big match many believe this is the real FINAL. “It doesn’t matter whether or not we win on 2nd April, but winning against Pakistan is must”, this is what I am hearing now a days at a nearby Pan Shop, Bus Stop, Restaurant and so on.
After defeating Australia in high intensity quarter final at Ahmedabad, “Team India” is oozing with confidence. Most of their tactics worked against the Aussies. Indian bowlers bowled well restricting Australia to 260 odd which was say around 20 to 30 runs short on that Motera wicket. Zaheer Khan continued his good form with the ball and was well backed by Yuvraj Singh and R. Ashwin. Batsman stuck to the basics and even though there were few hiccups in middle, “Team India” in the end won the match quiet convincingly thanks to some brilliant display of batting by Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.
India will take the momentum with them when they face Pakistan at Mohali on 30th March. Pakistan on other hand is also high on confidence and had an easy victory over the struggling West Indies in their quarter final encounter. So both teams are well prepared before the battle which is bound to drain them both physically and mentally. So the cricket fans around the world are ready to witness a real cricketing treat on Wednesday
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Both teams are evenly matched but still “Team India” holds an edge over Pakistan because of their high-profile batting line up. Pakistan also has some talented group of bowlers in their team. Since match is in India, “Team India” can make most of the good batting conditions in Mohali. Traditionally pitch at Mohali is different from other Indian pitches and offer some pace and bounce for fast bowlers. But extra pace and bounce can also be helpful to batsman because ball will come on the bat at pretty brisk pace which will make it easy for stroke play.
It won’t be a surprise to see MS Dhoni fielding first after winning the toss as conditions are likely to remain same during both the innings and late evening due can also be a factor. Seeing England score close to 330 odd runs while chasing and South Africa scoring 296 to win the match against India, it will be good that India chase against Pakistan. Apart from Zaheer and to some extent Ashwin we do not have a match winning bowler in our team. Bowling being our weakest link can be easily exposed especially when we bowl second.
India’s batting is still heavily dependent around Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh. Virender Sehwag on his day can destroy even the best of bowling attacks. It’s important for Sachin and Sehwag to attack the likes of Gul, Akhtar (If he plays) and Riaz from start and shatter their confidence. Pakistan also has some high quality spinners like Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal in their team. It is vital for players like Virat, Yuvi and Dhoni to keep the scorecard moving even when Afridi and Ajmal are in action.
Afridi when attacked at the start of his bowling spell is not the same Afridi as we are accustomed to in this tournament. I still feel that if wicket falls early then MS Dhoni or Raina can come in at No.3 to take the attack to the Pakistani bowlers. It is utmost important that India don’t expose their tail to the Pakistani bowlers. Sachin Tendulkar is the key for India along with Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir. The comment by Afridi that “Sachin will have to wait for his 100th international ton” has spurred up the Master even more
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Indian bowling sadly is its weakest link. It is crucial for Zaheer Khan to bowl the way he bowled against the Aussies. Again it is important to give only 3 to 4 overs for Zaheer with a new cherry and preserve him for middle overs when he is at his best with the old ball. Ashwin will once again open the bowling along with Zaheer and so far he has done a fair job. As mentioned in my earlier piece of writing, Harbhajan should be more attacking with his bowling. It might be a good change to bring in ShreeSanth in place of Munaf Patel who is struggling with his bowling at the moment. ShreeSanth aggressiveness can be of great help for “Team India” in this high voltage clash.
So the greatest rivalry in sports will be on display at Mohali on 30th March. It is now or never for both the teams as losing the match will shattered the dreams of billions of followers of both the nations where Cricket is considered as “Religion”. So it will be a war of Cricket in Mohali
- BEST OF LUCK “TEAM INDIA”
- JAY HIND
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