Hype over India versus Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup final is unrealistic

Hype over India versus Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup final is unrealistic

India ICC T20 World Cup

An off day in the ICC T20 World Cup seems bizarre. The pace of cricket in the last three weeks, or so, was hectic to watch. From the time of the qualifying phase till the completion of the league matches, leading to the semi-final match-up, was intense.

First things first. None expected West Indies would be bounced out even before the main tournament began. Nobody also expected defending champions Australia would face such an inglorious exit and South Africa would buckle under pressure against the Netherlands.

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It brings us to the business end of the tournament where New Zealand versus Pakistan and India versus England in the semi-finals is the talking point. If you look at some of the social media handles, they are already hyping up an India versus Pakistan final, which is foolish.

The way results have been belted out in this World Cup, unpredictability has been a potent factor. The form book has been torn to shreds and nothing could be taken for granted. Just imagine, Pakistan got in by luck and of course pluck when they beat Bangladesh on Sunday. That, however, had been set up because of South Africa’s dramatic exit.

India versus Pakistan is far-fetched. It is nice to indulge in histrionics and get involved in patriotic blabber. Both the countries have been bitter rivals for years and nothing has changed. For Pakistan to enter the final, they first need to get past the best team in the tournament, New Zealand. The Black Caps were runner-up last year in the UAE against Australia. This time, they have played with passion and purpose, what with their top-order in batting so solid. Their bowling, too, has been very responsible, with pace and spin complementing each other.

Clinical efficiency is what makes New Zealand so strong, with a captain like Kane Williamson at the helm. He may have been guilty of not scoring fast but there is no way you can discount his charismatic presence on the field. When the need arises, Kane can cane the bowlers. His cool captaincy will come in handy against Babar Azam’s boys in the first semi-final on Wednesday.

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The semi-finals between New Zealand versus Pakistan and India versus England will first need to be gone through in Australia

Semi-Finalists of the ICC T20 World Cup
Semi-Finalists of the ICC T20 World Cup

From an Indian point of view, India versus England is being hyped up like the release of a new Bollywood movie. You have to pardon the over-enthusiastic blokes for making this out to be another version of the award-winning movie Lagaan! India versus England will be a good contest in Adelaide, though both sides know they are battling problems.

The good thing about England is they have very seasoned professionals in their ranks like Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. Their batting runs deep and they have used as many as seven bowlers in some matches. Moeen Ali, in fact, has hardly bowled and Adil Rashid has been an important white ball bowler for them.

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Lagaan apart, people are making comparisons between India and England in a knock-out of the ICC semi-finals dating back to the 1987 Reliance World Cup in Bombay. England won that match before going on to lose the final to Australia, a match still remembered for that sinful reverse sweep by Mike Gatting.

India has done well, despite the limitations. To not have Jaspirit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja and still bowl well has been good. The fast bowlers, Shami and Bhuvi got picked because conditions in Australia were going to be helpful. Yet, it’s young Sardar Arshdeep Singh who is the bowling hero in the pace department.

The spin section still has room for improvement, which is why coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma may wait till the last minute to decide on the bowling combination. Ashwin has played and so has Axar. Both have looked ordinary, though Adelaide is bound to assist spinners.

The weather forecast for the semi-finals is good. And that’s the best news, till now. The Indian batting has been awesome, which calls for a treatise in itself. After all, Virat Kohli and SKY — Surya Kumar Yadav — have batted as if they belong to altogether another different breed of batters!

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