Champions Trophy: 5 things to look out for when India meet Pakistan

It is the mother of all battles. And it’s here.

The cricketing world awaits a spectacle of massive proportions as we move through the group stages of the Champions Trophy towards June 15 when India take on Pakistan at Birmingham. The tense political ties between the two nations added with the inability of Pakistan to host matches at home, and perhaps to an extent the absence of Pakistan players at the Indian Premier League means that fans are starved of this contest and the multitudes of contests within. Yet, once the prospect is at hand, one can feel the energy around it. If the initial games of India are Pakistan are anything to go by, we will have tremendous support for both teams and an insane amount of noise. The tickets for the match were sold in three hours and that’s enough said about the wait, the expectation and the craze.

Moreover, the two teams look in excellent shape coming into the tournament, bulked up on their traditional strengths. Pakistan have a pace battery that can send a shiver through any batsman’s spine and India have batting line-up to match it. The battle will evoke memories of the Sachin-Wasim, Sehwag-Shoaib and many more such rivalries of the great past shared by the two teams. Add to that the new threat posed by Saeed Ajmal and the efficiency of Indian batsmen against spin, it all makes way for a thrilling contest. Fans will also remember India’s defeat at home to this very side suffered in January this year. This will be a moment for India to get a share of their revenge. Here are five things among many to look out for in the biggest clash of the tournament.

1. The Heat, the Hostility

We would like to believe that the India-Pakistan clashes are not do-or-die affairs any more. We would like to believe that they don’t mean much outside the realm of sport. However, the fact is that these clashes remain slightly seasoned with that surplus energy that floats on the surface, blowing up into a rush of heat, a stare, some choice words that is all well within the spirit of the game. These are the moments that stand out in India-Pakistan matches for they raise the intensity of the game and bring out the most courageous performances.