India v Pakistan World T20 – 5 Talking Points

The stage was set for the mother of all battles, the marquee clash between India and Pakistan at the Eden Gardens. Stakes were high and the atmosphere jam-packed at the Eden Gardens as the two sides clashed with a lot to play for. While India got into the game in a do or die situation, Pakistan wanted to break their World Cup jinx against India.

Having put into bat, Pakistan had a sluggish start. The pitch was turning square and neither Sharjeel nor Shehzad could pick the Indian spinners. Shehzad got a start but couldn’t capitalize. Sharjeel was the first to be dismissed and was soon followed by Shehzad.Afridi was dismissed soon and it was the old pair of Akmal-Malik, who led the restoration job. Akmal hit 22 while Malik hit 26 to help Pakistan post a decent total of 118/5 in their 18 overs.

Indian run chase began in a shaky manner as the top order collapsed yet again. Rohit Sharma was dismissed by Amir and then Sami bagged the wickets of Dhawan and Raina on consecutive deliveries. But Kohli and Yuvraj forged a brilliant partnership of 61 runs that almost saw India home. Dhoni came in at the dismissal of Yuvraj and hit the winning runs as India won by 6 wickets.

1. Rains, the atmosphere and the emotions

The rain gods threatened to take the all-important clash away from the spectators. A full house at Eden had to wait for the game to start. It was an hour delayed start and a reduced game of 18 overs a side. The atmosphere was absolutely thrilling. The emotions overflowed as the national anthems were sung by Amitabh Bachchan and Shafqat. The intensity was seen on the faces of the players throughout the game. No fielder wanted to leak that extra run and the bowlers showed aggression right from the word go.

2. Square Turner

Both the captains were unsure about the nature of the wicket at the toss. No wonder Pakistan skipper ShahidAfridi missed the trick when he did not pick up an extra spinner in his side. The wicket turned out to be yet another rank turner. MS Dhoni asked Ashwin to bowl in the powerplay and the trick worked pretty well. Sharjeel Khan found his stay as a very uncomfortable one. When Jadeja came into bowl, he got the ball to grip and spin as well. Part-time spinner Raina got his fair share of turn too and picked up a wicket in the only over he bowled. Ashwin gave away 12 runs in his 3 overs and Jadeja returned with figures of 1/20 in his four overs. The turn was evident in the second innings too. ShahidAfridi, who is not known for turning the ball, was turning it square. Shoaib Malik got some purchase from the wicket as well. Had Pakistan fielded ImadWasim in the playing eleven, it could have been a tighter game.

3. Late Hitting by Pakistan

India had a strangle hold on Pakistan for the most part of the Pakistani innings. The run rate never climbed up and Indian bowlers were hard to pick up for the Pakistani batters. It was Shoaib Malik, who led the counter-attack with some powerful shots. The first attack came in Pandya’s 2^nd over when Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal hit 2 sixes. Soon, Malik hit a couple of boundaries in Bumrah’s next over and suddenly the run rate went past 6 for the first time in the match. Malik struck 26 off 16 balls before getting dismissed and Akmal played a cameo of 22 that came off 16 balls.

4. Indian top-order fails again

The target of 119 wasn’t a very daunting one but having said that, everyone had the game against New Zealand in their minds. Rohit Sharma started off in style but soon was dismissed for 10 by Mohammad Amir. ShikharDhawan’s stay at the crease was a highly painful one and he struggled to find the middle of the bat. Except one positive cut shot that he played, he was seen largely uncomfortable. Mohammad Sami got through his defences and dismissed him for 6 that came off 15 deliveries. To make things worse, Suresh Raina was dismissed for a golden duck. Raina’s poor run continued and this is certainly not a good sign for India. For a moment, it was yet another déjà vu scare for India as the scorecard read 23/3 in 5 overs.

5. Kohli – The Run Machine

The man that came to the rescue for India was ViratKohli. Yet again Kohli proved why is he the mainstay of Indian batting line up. He saw the wickets of Raina and Dhawan fall but kept his calm. He found an ideal partner in Yuvraj Singh. He nudged the ball around in the early part of the innings and played a very sensible knock. He ensured that the scorecard kept ticking and there was not much pressure being created. Once he was set, he absolutely hammered the bowlers with class and elegance. Nonchalant drives through the covers were on display, and in no time, the Indian batting hero notched up yet another T20 half century. He remained unbeaten on 55 off 37 balls with 7 fours and a six to see India home by 6 wickets. With the win, India are now still alive in the World T20.