India-Pakistan ties not matching hype of old

The Super 4s have just started and, though points from the group stages have not been carried forward, India’s performance up to date makes it a given that they will be in the final on September 28. They were superb against Pakistan and outplayed them in all aspects.

I believe Rohit Sharma and his team’s performance will continue to have a huge psychological impact. India-Pakistan games come with lot of hype but over the last 8-9 years, that hype has not often matched reality.

The Pakistan of old and the Pakistan of now are a lot different and India continue to be stronger in all aspects. Everybody keeps talking about the Champions Trophy last year when Pakistan’s performance got better as the tournament progressed.

Their victory against England, and then against India in the final will be the only point of thought for India to carry. Pakistan need to be more organised in a big game and their shot-selection in the last was really poor for a high-pressure game.

One-day cricket has changed over the years but in this tournament, old fashioned Oneday batting is required from all teams. It is not surprising that pitches will turn as the tournament progresses because of cricket being played day-in and day-out on the same surfaces in hot and humid conditions.

So it is also not surprising that India has so many spinners in the team and sides equipped with spin will hold the advantage. A batting unit that has wickets in hand till the end holds the key to success, which did not happen with Pakistan in the game before. A lot of people are saying that the game against Afghanistan showcased Pakistan’s poor form, but don’t underestimate the Afghan spinners and the run chase in the last over will give them a lot of confidence.

Exceptional skipper

India, on the other hand, have been brilliant. Rohit Sharma has not only been exceptional with the bat but his captaincy has stood out. He was shaken a bit by Hong Kong but since then he and his team has lifted themselves. Shikhar Dhawan has always been brilliant in this format and he continues to do so, his partnership with Rohit has not allowed the batting to be under any pressure.

The bowling has been standout: Bhuvaneswar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are assets to this team in any format — which just goes to show that despite all the debate about the red and white ball, quality prevails. So teams will have to bat really well against India to put them under any pressure.