Impossible to view it as just another game
INDIA-PAK T20
One series is barely over, and the next one is already upon us. Such is the nature of international calendar that matches come thick and fast. As a result, it isn’t merely the players’ skills that are tested. Their physical fitness, the ability to switch off between games and switch on during the matches, the ability to switch between different formats — all these are vital components that need to be addressed.
Fortunately, with the support structures in place, it’s a little easier for the players to stay sharp and prepare adequately in the short time.
The two Twenty20 internationals against England provided wholesome entertainment.
India won the first match comprehensively and the second was a last-ball finish that could have gone either way. The star of the series was Yuvi. It was great to see him back in action. He must have been hurting after being dropped for the last Test, so he went and took out his disappointment on Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy game by scoring a century. Yuvi’s desire to play Test cricket has been obvious all season, and I am delighted he is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to establish himself as a Test cricketer.
Next up for MS and his men are Pakistan, starting with a Twenty20 shootout in Bangalore on Christmas Day. As it is, there is a bit of sensitivity involved when India plays Pakistan.
Add to it the fact that Pakistan are touring India after five years, and you can rest assured that the five matches will be high-intensity affairs eagerly looked forward to by fans from both sides of the border.
The teams are on a par at the moment, India perhaps slightly better off for having had an immediate taste of international Twenty20 cricket. As usual, it will be a highly competitive series and players from both teams will be eager to make a mark.
The last time India and Pakistan met on Indian soil was during the semi-final of the World Cup last year and in some ways, that match was considered more important than the final itself. The stakes may not be as high this time around, but there is an edge to an India-Pakistan clash that is unique and unmatchable.
As a cricketer representing your country at the highest level, even though you want to be professional and emotionally detached, when you play against Pakistan it is always there at the back of your mind that the outcome of every match is important to the emotions of the entire country.
That pressure will automatically linger for the simple reason that we don’t play that frequently against Pakistan. It may sound like a cliché, but the team that handles pressure better and controls its nerves better has a better chance of coming out trumps. I distinctly recall the various team meetings I have been a part of before a match against Pakistan. One of the main topics of discussion was to ensure you don’t get carried away with the emotions sur- rounding the contest.
There was a lot of talk about treating it as just another game of cricket but the fact that similar sentiments weren’t expressed before a match against any other team alone showed that it was almost impossible to approach it as just another game.
The energy at the ground is unbelievable, the atmosphere is electrifying and occasionally tense. Once in the middle, you tend to shut out the fact that you are playing against Pakistan, but the buzz in the crowd invariably keeps reminding you of the emotions involved.
In a lot of ways, the wait for the game to start is more taxing than the match itself. It’s good that in this series, the matches will come thick and fast because the gap between matches can be nerve-wracking. Victory against Pakistan will be a good way to end a difficult year, and to look ahead to the new year with hope. And I am confident India have what it takes to do so.
(360 Corporate Relations)