India vs Pakistan - The rivalry resumes

Be it any format, anywhere in the world , an India Pakistan match is considered to be one of the biggest rivalry in world cricket, even more so than the Ashes. When the competition between these two sides takes place on such a grand stage as the T20 World Cup tomorrow at Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, it rarely gets any better.

It is a must win game for the Indian team after their heavy defeat by the hands of the Aussies, where the Australian team looked better in all departments of the game – batting, bowling and fielding. A defeat here would practically shut the semi-final doors for the Indian team. It is a do or die situation. Pakistan, on the other hand won a thrilling game against the South Africans in the super eight encounter. They are comfortably placed in the group with their victory.

The Indian team needs to play to their strength against the Pakistani side, which they did not do against the Aussies – they played five bowlers and dropped Sehwag. Sehwag should be included in the starting 11, as he has the potential to tear apart any bowling attack, even if he just stays for the first 10 overs. The middle order batsmen of the Indian team need to come good against Pakistan to secure a win. The bowlers lack quality and need to bowl to the best of their capabilities.

Pakistan with a strong top order, which includes Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez and Kamran Akmal, can plonk the Indian bowlers all around the park if India bowl the way they did against the Aussies. Pakistan bowling attack looks evenly balanced with both spin and fast bowlers – Yasir Arafat, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul. These bowlers have the quality to win the game just on their bowling skills, a luxury which India doesn’t have. The match is not going to be an easy one for the Indian team, as the Pakistani team has not lost a single match in the competition so far.

It is going to be a treat for the fans around the world, as both the teams would come up with their best line-up to try and win the game. A victory for Pakistan means India’s exit and the men in green’s progression almost guaranteed. All is not lost for India though, as they can take heart from the fact that despite their loss in the first super eight match against New Zealand in the 2007 T20 World Cup, they went on to win the title.