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A stadium stacked to the rafters. Celebrities and certifiable legends from both side of the border. A rained out pitch and a wet outfield. A must – win situation for India after their loss in the opening game to New Zealand. Pakistan firing on all guns after their opening win against Bangladesh. All this before the flip of the coin – just another day for an India – Pakistan game. Not another day for billions of fans worldwide who tuned in to see an epic encounter. The fans definitely got “epic” and then some.
The most anticipated clash in the early stages of the T20 World Cup had been marred by controversy even before it began. An India – Pakistan game isn’t only about cricket, it is about politics as well. The venue had to be shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata as the Haryana government announced that they wouldn’t be able to provide complete security and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata were the benefactors. Arena check.
India came into the World Twenty20 as tournament favorites, with 10 wins from their 11 previous Twenty20 games. However, the result against New Zealand showed that they could be beaten and Pakistan was buoyed by its own strong performance against Bangladesh. India needed a win and after a few tactical errors in the field, were staring at 119 in 18 overs to redeem themselves. On any other day, the score would have been a walk in the park for most International teams. But today wasn’t any other day. The pitch was acting up and the ball was gripping the deck and slowing down and simultaneously turning. The stage was set for a major upset or a win.
India soon found itself at 23 for the loss of 3 wickets. Pakistan smelled blood and pushed for a decisive win. Only one man stood between them and victory – Virat Kohli. On a prodigiously turning pitch, Kohli gave a masterclass on how to bat and dig yourself out of trouble. On a pitch that troubled every batsman, Kohli was in control. He used the depth of the crease and moved laterally to maneuver balls into gaps. At the other end, Yuvraj Singh built the partnership and the fans got a glimpse of the Yuvraj of yore. Pakistan meanwhile tried everything in their arsenal to slow the batsmen down but to no avail. It was Kohli’s night and he commandeered the game till the very end. India won comfortably in the end but the headlines would have been very different if Kohli had lost his wicket early and the batsmen after him didn’t fire. An India – Pakistan game is a huge pressure match for both sides. As Ashwin summed it up, an India- Pakistan encounter is bigger than the Ashes and nothing gets bigger than this.
Pakistan though got it wrong from the start. Stacking a full pace quartet on a rank-turner wasn’t the best idea from the Pakistan camp and they missed a few tricks by not having regular spinners to bowl. On their day, the pace quartet can rip into any batting attack and after seeing India struggle against them previously, Shahid Afridi seems to have no qualms in unleashing them on the Indian batting lineup. The only issue is that the pitch was a spinner’s paradise. Ashwin was able to turn the ball almost square and he severely restricted the opponents from taking the game away, though he was underbowled.
Pakistan also missed a step when they promoted Shahid Afridi up the order. It wasn’t his position and, for all his batting prowess and form, it wasn’t the right time for him to lose his wicket. Coming one down, irrespective of form, isn’t the best idea with the strike bowlers fresh and a new ball is gripping the wicket. It was a huge win for India once they saw Afridi’s back and Pakistan were certainly dealt a blow. Pakistan’s much maligned batsmen redeemed themselves partially by losing only 2 wickets in the first 10 overs. The lower order, marshaled by Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal, swung for the fences and added 51 runs off the last 5 overs.
India wasn’t without its flaws either. Ashwin and Jadeja’s quota of overs weren’t fully utilized on a pitch which assisted spinners and Hardik Pandya was carted all over the park. Length balls and full tosses in the end made their way instead of effective cutters which would have restricted the opposing batsmen. Bowling out the spinners would have increased pressure on Pakistan but it wasn’t to be. Pakistan too missed a spinner and got Mohammed Sami instead. But Sami being Sami had India on the ropes very soon by dismissing both Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina in successive deliveries. The top order folded like a pack of cards and it has become an alarming recurrence especially in a tight spot. We saw it happen against New Zealand and it happened again against Pakistan. India needs to look beyond Suresh Raina and I’m still not sure about his role in the current team. He’s hardly bowled by Dhoni and the gaps in his batting allow for any ball to get through his defenses. He hasn’t troubled the scorers in the longest time across any format and his last century or match winning knock doesn’t come to mind easily. India needs to look for another option as the matches ahead become tighter and the stakes get higher.
As I sat on the edge of my seat through the match in a bar in Toronto, I looked around and saw the same passion which I have come to associate with an India – Pakistan match. Maybe it’ll make for another article someday but for now, my concluding statements would be for the heroes of the match. Virat Kohli came in and soaked the pressure and showed us once again why he’s compared to the Little Master. His valuable partnership with Yuvraj Singh, whom I suspect we’ll see for the last time on the world stage, carried India across the line. At 23/3, it was certainly going Pakistan’s way and some of us in the crowd looked on in despair. Then Kohli reminded us why we needn’t despair no more, as he turned the game around and answered a billion prayers. Just like another master used to before him.
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