Asia Cup 2018: India vs Pakistan, 4 Key Battles that will shape the contest
Phew.
That was nerve-wracking.
Almost a national disappointment.
An embarrassment.
And that was just Hong Kong.
The real pressure starts now.
If you thought almost losing to Hong Kong was bad, wait till you see what happens if India loses to Pakistan. Remember the last time? The Champions Trophy final? That happened because India lost several key battles.
Unlike T20 cricket, One Day Cricket is rarely won due to one spellbinding performance, and little else from everybody. The spellbinding performance helps, but what value would Fakhar Zaman's century have had if Pakistan had bowled awfully. Sachin Tendulkar spent a decade playing spellbinding knock after spellbinding knock, only to end up on the losing side due to a lack of support from his teammates. There may be an 'I' in Cricket, but it is very much a team game.
These three key battles have the potential to shape the match. They have been identified gauging India's strengths, Pakistan's strengths, and past precedent. They say that you need to turn your weakness into a strength in order to be truly successful, but you cut your opponent off at the knees by turning their strength into a weakness.
India just played Hong Kong yesterday in the sapping heat, and were almost upset. Pakistan has had the opportunity to rest after handily defeating the same opponents.
Conventional wisdom says that Pakistan has the slight advantage due to this, but conventional wisdom never did apply to India-Pakistan matches.
India's Openers versus the Pakistani new ball attack
Virat Kohli is one man.
But he is a very very very important man.
India's Captain, and best batsman has been rested for this Asia Cup, and India now has a Virat Kohli sized hole to fill.
How do they fill it?
They don't. You don't just replace your talisman Captain, the best ODI batsman in the world today, and arguably one of the greatest ODI players ever.
The absence of Kohli is exacerbated by India's unsettled batting line-up. Neither Dinesh Karthik, nor Ambati Rayudu are automatic picks, and Kedhar Jadhav is on the comeback trail after injury.
So what do you do when you have a Kohli sized hole in your team that cannot be filled? You paper over it. India cannot change what they do not have, but they can make use of available resources.
In Rohit Sharma, they have one of the very best ODI batsmen in the world, and an in-form Shikhar Dhawan is a dangerous proposition for any attack. They are India's greatest batting strength, and must blunt the Pakistani new-ball attack.
With an untested middle-order, and an M.S. Dhoni on the wane, losing early wickets could be catastrophic for India. They will have lost one or both of their most experienced players, and their template for ODI success; most of India's wins have been built upon a strong contribution by one of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan. Moreover, India's middle order has been suspect in recent times. All this without taking into account the pressure of an India-Pakistan contest.
Conversely, a strong opening partnership provides an excellent platform for the likes of Dhoni, Rayudu, and Karthik to build upon, and puts the pressure solely on the Pakistanis. An Indian middle order that is building upon a platform rather than outright building it is especially dangerous, and will allow Hardik Pandya and Kedhar Jadhav the license they need to tee off.
Pakistan decimated India's Champions Trophy Final run-chase due to a searing new-ball burst. It was a knockout blow that India never recovered from. The contest was definitely over even before it began.
His recent poor form notwithstanding, Pakistan would be mad to drop Mohammad Amir. Whilst it would be foolish to discount any of Pakistan's new-ball attack, he is their most potent threat.
He is the spear that Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan must blunt if India is to defeat Pakistan.