India Vs Pakistan in an ODI World Cup. At the biggest cricket stadium in the world. This is going to be an epic game at an epic venue. Both the sides head into the clash on back of confidence-boosting wins in the first two matches of the World Cup. India are in an incredibly good place. Captain Rohit Sharma led from the front in the last match, which will keep India in good stead.
With the captain firing, India are in a good place going into a big game like Pakistan. The hundred will be a huge morale-booster not just for Rohit but for the whole team as well. The senior players Virat Kohli, KL Rahul are in good form. Rahul has been excellent with the bat and the gloves since returning from the injury, as is Jasprit Bumrah, who looked in the best of rythms. The spinners – R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav – have been in excellent form. Again, Ashwin for Shardul Thakur and vice-versa will depend upon the conditions.
The jigsaw will be complete if Shubman Gill returns to the squad, but only after getting back to his full fitness. Ishan Kishan, in Gill’s absence, continues to contribute in his own way. I see India in a very strong place now.
One of the key battles in the India vs Pakistan match will be between the Pak pacers against the Indian top order batting. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali vs the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli will be a mouth-watering contest. If Pakistan can somehow break through the top order of India, they can push the hosts on the back foot and it could turn out to be one of the game-changing moments of the contest.
I am not sure whether that will happen in this match because Shaheen has been short of his best in the last few games in this World Cup and even before it. It is he who provides Pakistan with this superb first-over breakthroughs. That, unfortunately for Pakistan, has not been the case of late. But the greatness of the big players is reflected in the fact that they unleash their best in the big games. I am expecting Shaheen as well as Babar, who has had bad outings in the last few games as well, to come good against the arch-rivals India.
Like I have said in my previous articles, conditions matter hugely in this World Cup. The sides that work out the conditions the best will crack the code to win the trophy. India, playing at home, obviously has that advantage and with crowd cheering for them at all venues they play in, that will have some sort of positive influence on their game. It does not guarantee a win for them vs Pakistan, but the home factor will always be a huge advantage for Indians in this World Cup.
Coming to India’s bowling outfit, I feel India should not discount Mohammed Shami for this match. I am a massive fan of his cricket. Shami has been benched so far in this World Cup because Mohammed Siraj came to this tournament in stunning form, and it is difficult to ignore such a bowler. I am not saying Siraj should be left out by any means, but I am also saying that Shami should not be forgotten if it is really a good pitch for the fast bowlers. He plays for Gujarat Titans in Indian Premier League and they play their home matches at this stadium. Shami with the new ball, in the conditions he knows in Ahmedabad, might also be an option India can look towards.
From my experience of playing against India in India at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, in front of a packed 1-lakh capacity stadium, you feel like you are playing against the whole nation and not just the 11 on the field. That is a huge advantage for the Men In Blue. Pakistan, at Ahmedabad, are likely to feel the same, that they are up against a whole nation in this match.
But Pakistan will take heart from the fact that they have momentum with them. I think, after chasing down a huge target in the last match, the Pakistan team must have got a huge lift. That performance from Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan and contribution from Saud Shakeel in the first match must have also taken the pressure off Babar, the batter. He will now have faith in middle-order batting when he comes out to bat.
That is why I think the Pakistani batting lineup will be confident for the match. The only question mark for Pakistan is their bowling, which was ironically their big strength heading into the World Cup. They are just a little short of excellence bowling with the new ball. But they are high-class players and expect them to find their best form. They need to. They must. If they do, Pakistan will be in a very good position.
