ICC T20 World Cup: Titanic Duel

By Mushtaq Hurra 

Masses of the Indian subcontinent are obsessed with politics and cricket because the twin realms have produced extraordinary idols and influencers whom people of all shades admire, adore and love a lot. Cricket is probably one of the fascinations which infatuate Indians and Pakistanis equally. A sense of nationalism and patriotism associated with cricket in India and Pakistan is quite inevitable because the two neighbouring nations consider it more than a sport. 

India of late was abuzz with the democratic carnival of 2024 Lok Sabha elections which wooed people to choose their favourite legislators despite scorching and unpleasantly hot weather. With the hearth of politics still hot, the two nuclear giants of South Asia are all set to lock horns on 9 June at Nassau county cricket stadium in New York, USA. Fans and supporters are eagerly waiting for the high voltage world cup clash. The arch rivals often give us cliffhangers and suspense-thrillers. Millions of frenzied cricket lovers will be glued to their television and smartphone screens on June 9 to enjoy the battle of equals.

Apprehensions, speculations and expectations have risen to new heights. Analysts, experts and pundits of the game have begun threadbare discussions in studios and newsrooms. Some give India a slight edge for their formidable batting prowess, while some have called it an uphill task for them to beat the heat of swingy stuff from the green speedsters.  Going by stats, the men in blue enjoy an upper hand  in T20 internationals against their traditional opponents but the mercurial green shirts from the other side of the border are known for their erratic and uncertain character. They suffered a crushing defeat to USA in their world cup opener, yet they can rattle any strong side on a given day.  Indo-Pak games go beyond skills, talents and abilities of the players for the pressure and hype created by the media. 

The Indian batters can devastate any bowling attack. The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are in great touch. Though the latter’s Mumbai Indian team failed miserably to make it to the top four, Hitman Sharma played some good knocks for his team. Who is not aware of his ability to pulverize any bowling attack and set a flurry of sixes and fours? But Pakistan’s pacers have often handcuffed him terribly. I will call him a bunny of Shaheen Afridi and Amir. Rohit has fallen to Shaheen three times in four international games, while Shaheen has conceded 52 runs against him. In two T20 games, Rohit has scored paltry 4 runs against Shaheen. If Rohit survives the initial intimidation from Shaheen, he can make a difference then. Amir has undoubtedly given nightmarish vibes to the Hitman in the past but the former is not at his best. His dwindling pace and penetration to torment the openers upfront, is a cause of concern for green shirts. And his poor run against the USA will haunt him for many days. 

Indian run machine – Virat Kohli has been at his best in the recently concluded IPL, where he amassed 741 runs including a triple figure mark and five fifties with an impressive strike rate of 154.70. His record against the Pakistan team is quite spectacular. India’s dominance over Pakistan during the last two decades has been spearheaded by Virat Kohli. He can topple any bowling attack of the world. He has piled up more than 1000 runs in 23 international matches against Pakistan. He too has been a bit jittery against Shaheen Afridi. The tall pacer has scalped him a couple of times in four encounters. But, Virat can single handedly take the game away from green shirts. K L Rahul is a good batsman but hasn’t been at his best during the recent times. Talented lad like Yashisvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson might sit in the Indian dugout as spectators. Rishabh Pant may be prioritised over Samson for his experience in the game. 

Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja provide multiple options to the Indian captain. Pandya’s berth in the side is confirmed. He shone in the match against Ireland, in which he scalped three wickets. Kuldeep might be preferred over Jadeja, because the latter is going through the lean patch of his career. Left-arm armoury from Kuldeep may trouble Pakistan middle order. Contrary to the past, India has an indomitable fast bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumra. Siraj and Arshdeep Singh can trouble the Pakistan fragile batting order. Bumra and Siraj can hit the deck hard to intimidate Pakistan batters with short pitch stuff. Drop-in-pitches are assisting fast bowlers substantially. Indian pacers unnerved Irish batsmen, and South African pacers perturbed Srilankans. Is toss going to be crucial in the game, time will tell. 

Now, let’s delve deep into Pakistan batting. The green shirts rely on the trio of Babar, Rizwan and Fakhar. They are good enough to pulverize any good bowling attack, but they can’t flex their muscles freely because of the conditions and behaviour of pitches in the USA. They were rusty against the USA in their first match. Given their poor run against the USA, they might be under tremendous pressure. Saim Ayoob is looking frustrated. He has miserably failed to repeat his PSL heroics at international level. Pakistan might go with Babar and Rizwan at the top, because the duo has brought laurels to Pak sides on many occasions in the past. But, this time around, it won’t be a cakewalk. Middle order of Pakistan has been struggling for many months. Iftikhar Ahmad has scored 179 runs in his last 13 T20 innings, at a poor average of 16.1. But, he will certainly play against India. Azam Khan has proven a liability for the Pakistan team. 

Will Rizwan or Usman Khan wear gloves to show exodus to the gigantic wicket keeper batsman? Usman played a good cameo against England in their last T20 international clash. And he exhibited great calibre in 2024 PSL. Shadab Khan played a good innings against the US when the Pak side was tottering at 30 for 3.  Injury to Imad Waseem should be cause of concern to Babar because the left arm spinner is quite handy with the willow as well. Pakistan pace battery led by Shaheen, Naseem and Haris can exploit the conditions well. The trio possess the firepower to give goosebumps to Indian batters. Will Amir open the bowling with Shaheen or not ? Can he repeat his magic when he had undone Indian top order in ICC champions trophy 2017 ?  

Both the teams are balanced and possess the skill to lift the trophy. For me, it is a 50 – 50 affair. The match between the two teams will be a treat to watch. Drop-in-pitches in Nassau, USA are quite different from subcontinent’s pitches, where batters enjoy punishing and tearing bowlers. Uneven bounce might worsen the things for batters, particularly during the first innings. Toss might play a role. Team winning the toss, will definitely choose to bowl first. Let’s hope the two sides give us a suspense and entertainment packed super Sunday on June 9. The countdown for the match of the tournament has begun, and everyone is waiting eagerly and anxiously. 

ICC must be applauded for expanding the horizon of international cricket. Taking the T20 bonanza to the USA is something of a great feat because that part of the world is better known for baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, lawn tennis and athletics. The move will certainly promote the game across the globe. 

• The author is a Teacher and a Columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]

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