ICC Champions Trophy: Why the India-Pakistan match looked so one-sided
India-Pakistan cricket encounters are primarily seen as a test of supremacy between our batsmen and their bowlers. Especially, when the wicket and the weather have a role to play, as in the case of the Edgbaston tie.
In the past few years, while India’s bowling has become a force to be reckoned with, Pakistan’s batting hasn’t grown formidable enough to be relied upon to help the team romp home in crunch situations. And its bowling attack, which had a reputation feared and revered when the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan took the field, is now but a forgettable shadow of its illustrious past.
While India were, even before their much-awaited inaugural clash of the tournament started, favourites against their arch-rivals, not many would have expected Pakistan to capitulate in the meek manner that they did in their reply. There seemed to be no real application from the batsmen. Apart from an utterly amateurish approach to chasing down a huge total, the inexplicable bowling changes, playing half-fit or unfit bowlers (both pacers Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz failed to complete even 9 overs and limped off the field) and the sloppy fielding only show how poorly prepared they were for the big game.
Rains didn't ruin results
Rains always play a crucial role. After the Australia-New Zealand encounter had been washed out at this very venue two days ago, fans hoped for a full 50-over contest between the arch-rivals.
The period of the contest during which Pakistan looked somewhat in control was until Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were watchful for the first 15 overs. The game was interrupted by three rain breaks — the first after 9.5 overs of the Indian innings, the second in the 34th (which prompted match officials to revise overs to 48-a-side) and the third time in the fifth over of Pakistan’s chase (which set them a revised target of 289 in 41 overs).
Rain interventions do tend to lead to loss in concentration, a turning-of-tables of sorts. The team that’s falling behind or on the defensive gets a chance to redraw its strategy, experiment with a change they wouldn’t have thought of effecting during the course of a match in progress. The other side that earlier had the momentum with it could struggle to stay focussed and hence squander the initiative.
But everytime both teams returned to the field after rain, India looked much more determined, aggressive and focussed to score quickly and bowl fiercely. India’s batsmen passed the test of temperament, which in an inclement weather like the one in Birmingham on Sunday (June 4) is tough to, with flying colours. The key to a big score was going to be how the openers would set it up from the start. And that they did quite superbly.
Openers gave innings impetus
Shikhar Dhawan hadn’t been in the best of form of late. Even his showing in the IPL wasn’t anything to write home about. Rohit Sharma had been out of the national side for a while due to injury. The untested form in recent international games, the cloud cover over Edgbaston and the pressure of playing against Pakistan perhaps made it incumbent on the openers to be cautious early on.
There’s something about ICC tournaments that brings the best out of this bunch of players. And the aggression of one rubs off on the others. So while Shikhar seemed all set to continue his 2013 Champions Trophy form, attacking fearlessly after getting his eye in, Rohit too displayed his array of classy shots. The 136-run opening stand allowed the other power-hitters to go for the onslaught as the game progressed.
Kohli-Yuvraj pile on the agony for Pakistan
The departure of Shikhar and Rohit brought captain Kohli and India’s matchwinner-for-years Yuvraj Singh together. While initially, the skipper kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and twos and went for the big hits only occasionally, the southpaw was brutal from the very beginning. Stamping his class with every stroke, Yuvi showed why even at 35, age is indeed just a number.
The swing of the arm, every time the ball went past the ropes, was such a treat to the eye that each frame in progression as he hit the ball was breathtaking. His 53 off 32 balls not only boosted India’s middle-order charge, but also relieved Kohli of the pressure to attack from the word go.
Fully aware that it could start pouring again, the Men in Blue fully understood the urgency of accumulating runs in fifth-gear mode. Pakistan’s abysmal fielding and the poor form of its bowlers helped in this cause.
Pandya's last over cameo
Hardik Pandya joined the party in the last over. Sent ahead of MS Dhoni with just 10 deliveries left in the innings after Yuvi’s dismissal, he blasted a hat-trick of sixes to take India past the 300-run mark and deliver the final knock-out punch by batsmen, to Pakistan.
Pakistan's bowling overrated, captaincy amateurish?
Pakistan’s bowling, pace attack in particular, has been hailed repeatedly as capable of running through opposition sides. But one seems to wonder whether they are still resting on the laurels of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in the 1980s and 1990s. They have had bowlers who’ve been good since, but equally erratic and unpredictable such that they cannot be counted on to deliver match-winning performances one after another as the three aforementioned legends could.
Captain and wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed’s opening the bowling with a spinner alongside pacer Mohammad Amir when the conditions were overcast defied logic even for people with mediocre understanding of the game, let alone experts. And that both Amir and Wahab Riaz lacked match practice was evident from the fact that they couldn’t even bowl 9 overs and had to retire to the dressing room injured. They didn’t have a wicket against their name. Even Pakistan’s spinners couldn’t leave an impact. Fielding fumbles made it worse. Sarfraz’s inexperience as captain and his inability to marshal his resources was too glaring to escape notice.
No fight or resistance shown in chase
Regardless of the fact that India were clearly the more likely team to win, fans would have liked to see Pakistan at least show the intent to get close to India’s mammoth total. Put it down to India’s impeccable bowling or Pakistan’s utterly disappointing approach while chasing, with the exception of Azhar Ali, not one of their batsmen could even get to a 50 or showed any willingness to counterattack.
Barring some instances of sloppiness on the field, India were remarkable even when they came out to bowl. Bowlers shared wickets evenly and not once looked like letting Pakistan get back into the game by making inroads at regular intervals.
To cut the long story short, it’s not just the loss, but the margin and ignominy of the 124-run defeat that India handed over to Pakistan that shows that the defending champions are serious contenders.
While Kohli admitted at the time of the presentation that fielding remained an area of concern, the Men in Blue have certainly ticked most boxes right. Almost everyone is peaking at the right time.
So, even though predicting so early in the competition who will lift the Champions Trophy is going to be premature, one can safely call India one of the most deserving claimants to the crown.
Also read: Ramachandra Guha has shown the mirror to Indian cricket