India’s victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup came in an exhilarating last-over finish, the match showcasing India’s strengths as well as weaknesses. This will keep the team’s think-tank engaged in working out more combinations and tactics for the rest of the tournament in quest of the title here, as well as firming up the squad for the T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma’s luck with the toss gave him the option to bowl first on a spicy pitch. While the 22-yard-strip retained pace, bounce, and some lateral movement for fast bowlers right through, the fact that India had restricted Pakistan to a modest 147 made them clear favourites at the halfway mark.
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That India tottered and stumbled before recovering to clinch the match in a humdinger climax is a credit to the team’s resolve, but more particularly the tenacity, self-belief, experience, and, when it mattered, flair of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya.
Pakistan fast bowlers exploited the helpful pitch extremely well too.
Young Naseem Shah, bowling at 150kph or thereabouts was simply brilliant, belying his inexperience. This was his maiden T20 match, and surely the first of many. He is a star in the making.
Shahnawaz Dahani was another who impressed with his hostile pace and fine control. And left-arm spinner Mohamed Nawaz picked up three important wickets on a pitch that seemed tailor-made for pace. India were stretched to their fullest.
Nonetheless, inning such a high-stakes encounter, even by the narrowest of margins, is not to be undermined. Every India-Pak match puts players under enormous pressure, often leading to massive ups and downs in the duration of the match. The team that copes with such pressure better wins the day, which India did.
The last time these teams had clashed – in the 2021 T20 World Cup – Pakistan had won in a canter. That was also the first time India had lost to the arch-rivals in an ICC World Cup.
Pakistan’s players – current and former – talked of how ` as the spell had been broken the trend of results would go in the opposite direction.
Sport, however, does not pander to bombast. Excellence in the field of play, not in rhetoric in the media, is what counts. When it mattered, India found the men to win to put up their hand when the situation demanded, and to clinch an important, morale-boosting win.
These are my takeaways on India’s performance in the match.
Playing XI selection Spot On:
The temptation to play an extra spinner, usually an advantage on UAE pitches, was wisely spurned. Having seen Afghanistan’s pace bowlers demolish Sri Lanka in the first match, India strengthened the fast bowling including both youngsters Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh, and kept R Ashwin out.
Karthik Over Pant for A Reason:
Questions were asked about why Rishabh Pant was dropped to accommodate Dinesh Karthik. My reading is that Pant is a certainty for the World Cup. For the second wicket-keeper’s slot, there is a three-way battle between Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, and Karthik. The team management wants to ascertain the latter’s sensational form as a finisher is still intact before taking a call.
Fast Bowlers Rise To The Occasion
The fact that the pitch had assistance for fast bowlers was not enough in itself to get on top of the match. The tactic of using the short-pitched delivery to hustle Pakistan batsmen, after studying their performance data, worked brilliantly.
Bhuvaneshwar’s renowned swing and seam prowess found fine support from the other end with youngsters Avesh, and especially, not only holding their nerve but exhibiting fine skills of their own. In the absence of spearhead Bumrah and T20 specialist Harshal Patel, this was a commendable performance.
The major influence in the bowling was Pandya who not only kept things tight in the middle overs but also plucked out three crucial wickets which kept Pakistan to within 150.
Top Order Stumble Raise Concerns:
Pakistan cracked open the Indian batting early, Naseem getting Rahul in the first over. In the next few overs, the vulnerability in the batting came to the fore even more.
Rohit lost his wicket trying an extravagant stroke when risk was totally unnecessary. Almost immediately after, Kohli, playing his 100th T20, holed out in the deep just when it seemed the form which had eluded him for almost three years, had returned.
Lucky to be dropped on zero, Kohli had a few streaky shots, then settled down to play some gorgeous drives and pull-drives that had been his stock in trade when he ruled the cricket world.
Having spent so much time in the middle, it was a travesty that he should play a loose, uncalled-for stroke. Kohli’s problem in the last couple of years is not just that he has fallen frequently for poor scores, but also that he has failed as many times to capitalize on good starts. Though he was the joint highest scorer for India along with Jadeja, Kohli still has a big gap in to bridge to find his best touch.
With Surya Yadav, who has been the team’s leading batsman in this format for 12-18 months falling cheaply, India was put into a serious crisis. The failure of the top order in a modest run chase will concern Dravid and Rohit. The template of all-out aggressive approach does not mean reckless batting, but rather showing ability, skill, and temperament to be in command in all situations.
All Rounders To India’s Rescue
Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya pulled India’s chestnuts out of the fire with a fine, sensible partnership to stymie Pakistan’s concerted victory bid. Jadeja didn’t get any wicket, but didn’t concede many runs either which was of value in the ultimate analysis. His batting, however, was top-class. Sturdy in defense, cutting loose with an attacking stroke to unsettle the bowler and bring the asking run rate down, he showed why he is regarded as among the foremost all-rounders in the game in all formats.
In white ball cricket, Pandya is probably the numero uno all-rounder based on his performances this year. He’s shown the versatility to make an impact with bat and ball in all conditions and situations and seems to revel in crises. Undoubtedly India’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) currently.
All said, an important win first up, but not convincing enough to suggest that the team is playing at optimum potential still.
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