Express News Service
CHENNAI: The last time India played Pakistan on Australian soil. India men went into the clash having not lost to Pakistan in a World Cup game at Adelaide and came out maintaining the record as Virat Kohli scored a century in the 50-over format. When asked about the winning streak, the then India skipper MS Dhoni was at his pragmatic best.
“The record is good, but it is something that I don’t want to get into because there will come a time when we will lose, irrespective of whether it happens this World Cup, next World Cup or four World Cups down the line,” Dhoni had said.
The former India cricketer was right after all. Pakistan did beat India in the 2021 T20 World Cup and that plotted their early exit from the tournament too. Seven years have passed since that Adelaide night. India are all set to face Pakistan once again in Australia. This time, it will be their opening game of the 2022 T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The trepidation of winning or losing in a World Cup match still exists. On Saturday, when the current captain Rohit Sharma was asked if Pakistan ending the streak and having an edge over them adds extra pressure, the 33-year-old said he preferred to look at it as a challenge.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘pressure’ because the pressure is constant. It’s not going to change ever. I want to use that word “challenge” a little more,” he said, before adding, “This Pakistani team is a very challenging team. All the Pakistani teams that I’ve played against from 2007 until 2022, they’ve been a good team. On that particular day, if you’re good enough, you’ll beat any opposition.”
He believed that if they think too much of the past, they will not be able to focus on the present. He was aware that India and Pakistan do not play outside of World Cups and Asia Cups. And although India lost to Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Rohit looks at it as a positive as India played their neighbours months before the marquee event.
So, the challenge? For India, the biggest on Sunday evening would be pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi while batting. He was the one who rattled them in the United Arab Emirates 12 months ago. Although the left-arm pacer had injury concerns coming into the World Cup, his spell against Afghanistan during a warm-up game cleared all the air. Shaheen was breathing fire with the new ball. So much so that Rahmanullah Gurbaz had to be carried off the field after facing a toe-crushing yorker. For India, the way Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli play him will be crucial.
As things stand, India are prepared for the challenge. While they may have retained the top three, there have been quite a bit of changes to the way India has been playing the shortest format. To begin with, there is a change in the leadership group. Under Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid, they have tried to take a modernised approach. They bat aggressively in the powerplay. They have a team management that takes data analysis seriously. They consistently use a floater, have a specialist pace-hitting finisher in Dinesh Karthik and rotate bowlers based on match-ups.
The biggest difference, perhaps, is the middle-order. Suryakumar Yadav is in the form of his life at No 4, followed by Hardik Pandya, Karthik, a left-hander in Axar Patel to mix up things and Rishabh Pant in the waiting if needed. They have shown enough promise to believe that even if Shaheen runs through the top-order on Sunday, they might not go down as they did in 2021.
The other challenge for India would be in the bowling department. They are missing the inimitable Jasprit Bumrah (injured). In his absence, they will have to juggle a few things here and there. They need to rely more on Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s new ball bowling against Pakistan. Because, much like India, Pakistan, too, have been a top-heavy side with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan at helm and they haven’t changed in the last 12 months. If the duo bat through the innings, a repeat of 2021 could be inevitable.
While India seem better prepared among the two teams, the challenge for both is to start the campaign with a win as in a format like this, things could go downhill with one bad defeat. Because it’s not about the pressure of getting back the winning streak against Pakistan. It is the challenge of having a good World Cup that holds the most significance.
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