By Sunil Gavaskar
Here in England, all talk is about the forthcoming Ashes series against old rivals Australia. There is palpable excitement in the air, and fans and pundits are licking their chops at the prospect of walloping a weak Australia team and winning all the Test matches; a clean sweep which has been inflicted upon them many times. The wheel has turned, and just like the champion West Indies team of the 1970s and 80s and part 90s which is now an ‘also ran’, the Aussies are being run over quite regularly. The difference is that while the downfall of the popular ever smiling West Indies team saddened just about every cricket lover, the general feeling now is of great glee that the Aussies are at the receiving end. They were not the most liked of teams and not many opposition players can claim that they have stayed in touch with Aussie players from those years since their playing days.
Be that as it may, even here in England, an India-Pakistan clash brings out the kind of fervour that an Ashes contest does not bring. Fans from both sides are just that bit more vociferous and love to have a go at each other without mincing words. The waving of flags and the music will cause more than a headache to those sitting in the vicinity, but what a terrific atmosphere it will create.
Unfortunately the match itself is of no consequence since Pakistan are already out of the competition having lost both their earlier matches and India have qualified for the semifinals. But as with every contest between the two countries, it will be full of drama.
While Pakistan will want to win this so as to save some face, India won’t want to lose the winning habit as they head into the knockouts. The team that finishes on top of the group plays the number two in the other group, so there is the incentive to be the number one and that will ensure that the handbrake is not on.
Pakistan’s batting has let them down, and it is fair to ask if Pakistan does not have any young batsmen back home, for the same faces which have not been doing well find themselves in the team again and again. They are not youngsters either. Their bowling though is top class and it will be a terrific contest between the Pakistan bowlers and the Indian batsmen. India needs to look at its bowling in the powerplays and the final ten overs where the opposition is getting plenty of runs, for in the knockout games that is where things could get out of hand. It was a mouth watering prospect when the tournament dates were announced, but now for India, it could either be the entree before the dessert or a rude wake up call.