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The greatest sports rivalry in the world. A Battle Royale, as Star Sports calls it. The last time these two teams met in a world cup, it was the largest television event of the year. Tickets for this encounter in the 2015 world cup were sold out within 12 minutes. India are five for five against Pakistan in world cups, but Pakistan are way ahead in the overall head to head.
All this will ensure that India vs Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on the 15th of February 2015 will be the most watched and anticipated cricket match of the year, but considering that in the 2013 Champions' Trophy, this fixture, though intended to be a knockout game, turned out to be a dead rubber, will it really be all that important in the larger scheme of things in the world cup?
The answer to that, to put it briefly, is yes. Even though India has been the number one ODI team in the world for the better part of the last four years, and Pakistan has been several spots behind in the ICC rankings, these two teams are more evenly matched for this encounter than they have been in years. This is not because they're equally good, but because they're equally weak.
The Indian team is at a very low point. It has failed to register a single win in its last 10 completed ODIs in the southern hemisphere. It has not won a single match in its entire tour of Australia. Even its performance in the two warm-up matches has been abysmal.
While getting hammered by Australia was expected, its performance against minnows Afghanistan was extremely poor as well. It managed to pile on 365 runs due to the countless lifelines it was given by poor fielding, but then conceded way too many runs with the new ball against an inexperienced batting line up. What's worse, it ended up conceding over 200 runs and did not even bowl the Afghans out.
India's pace attack is the most incompetent in the world today among the major test playing nations. While Indian experts continue to shower the likes of Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav with praise, the fact is that these bowlers are not really fit to play international cricket. India's latest obsession with genuine fast bowlers has resulted in speed becoming the only criterion for selection, regardless of how indisciplined and inaccurate bowlers are.
The Indian batsmen can generally make up for the weaknesses in the bowling when they're playing in the subcontinent, but have failed miserably overseas. Batting collapses are almost second nature to the Indian team while playing away from home, and even the likes of Kohli and Dhoni have been unable to save them for crushing defeats.
But in the sport of cricket, you're only as good, or bad, as the opposition allows you to be, and this time, the Pakistani team is actually a shade weaker than India. Pakistan have had a torrid time in ODIs since the beginning of 2014, having won only 4 matches out of 16 against major teams. They have an inexperienced and extremely erratic batting line-up, and even stalwarts like skipper Misbah and Younis Khan are not the kind of players who can win matches single-handedly for their team.
Pakistan's bowling attack, once feared by the entire world, and often capable of defending totals under 200 with ease, is now thoroughly depleted without stalwarts Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul. Even Junaid Khan, their most skilled pacer, exited the tournament before it even began due to injury. Wahab Riaz, their fastest bowler, has major consistency issues, and the 7'1" Mohammad Irfan is no different.
India's strengths, though not many, include a batting line-up that can be very effective on its day, with each batsman capable of being aggressive as well as circumspect. The spinners can be economical, but not enough to make up for the runs that the pacers leak. Pakistan have a decent bowling attack with Irfan's bounce and Riaz's pace likely to trouble the Indian batsmen, especially the likes of Dhawan and Raina.
Pakistan have serious issues chasing totals above 250, while India find it almost impossible to defend anything under 300. This yin-yang equation will ensure that this match will be like India-Pakistan matches of the yore, i.e, Indian batsmen vs Pakistani bowlers. India, however, hold the advantage when it comes to dealing with the pressure of big matches, as captain Dhoni's calming influence has helped all those who have played under him to keep a cool head in high pressure situations.
And then, of course, lies the fact that India have history on their side. It is no fluke that India have never lost to Pakistan in world cups, and have generally won against them in world tournaments. It is because the Indian team constantly faces immense media and public pressure, no matter who it's up against, and as a result, Indian players can withstand the extra pressure they face while playing Pakistan, who often collapse under it, since the only time they have to deal with it is against India.
This match, besides being a match against their arch-rivals, is also the key to India's entire world cup campaign. A win would be a confidence booster, and it would go a long way in ensuring that they finish at least second in their group. On the other hand, an unprecedented loss could shatter their confidence completely, and they might struggle to beat even West Indies and Ireland.
Let the games begin!
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