India Seek Champions Trophy Redemption in Asia Cup Title
India beat Pakistan by 8 wickets in the Asia Cup on Wednesday and will again meet them on Sunday (23 September).
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It was a Super Sunday. A Sunday worthy of a big dinner, a few (soft) drinks, some banter and a lot of hoots in front of the TV screen. India were on an absolute roll and now was the time to lift their second consecutive Champions Trophy. But they were up against Pakistan. The same Pakistan who had bedazzled South Africa in a rain-curtailed match, had negotiated Sri Lanka (not before huffing and puffing though) and then steamrolled joint favourites England in the semis.
Yeah, Yeah… but they were Pakistan after all. The same Pakistan whom India had trounced by a massive margin of 124 runs in their Champions Trophy opener, who had not been able to win a single match in the last seven ICC events against India, who were the 8th ranked ODI team. 8th ranked for heaven's sake! How long could they go without having a hopelessly off day? They were Pakistan after all.
The Exception: Champions Trophy
India won the toss and chose to bowl first, come again! bowl first! The team had never bowled first in the entire tournament. And it was Pakistan, who were terrible at chasing; their bowlers splendid at defending totals. Ain’t we playing in their hands? What do you know, Virat Kohli knows better.
Bring it on! The first over was a maiden by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Bumrah conceded just three in his first. That’s the way boys, build more pressure. More they did by not conceding a single boundary in the first three overs. And it paid off. Fakhar Zaman, desperate for runs, tried to feel bat on ball on a nippy length ball outside the off stump. Caught! Off they go in delight.
Hey, hold on. What’s that? Are you kidding me? Oh NO! The dreaded Bumrah no-ball.
And then it seemed as if Pakistan had got a new lease of life. Two balls later, one was dispatched for a four, then another four and then they just didn’t stop at the Oval that day. Edges were induced but fell safe and when they did make it to the fielders, they were in no mood to grab them. At one point in the death overs, the ball even hit Mohammad Hafeez's off stump, but the bails refused to come off. It was just that sort of day.
Fakhar was three when he nicked, 114 when he was finally dismissed. The famed Indian bowling line-up looked in tatters, conceding 13 wides and three no-balls. Pakistan posted a mammoth 338 and Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali did the rest, bagging six wickets between them and humbling India by 180 runs. The same Pakistan, my gosh!
A Cautious Indian Camp
Cut to, to the buildup of the Asia Cup clash between the ‘arch rivals’. India were without Virat Kohli and their lacklustre performance against Hong Kong had made Pakistan all-the-more favourites.
"Pakistan is the favourite only because the big psychological advantage that they have of beating India in the final of the Champions Trophy. The previous game or the ball before... always stays at the back of your mind and that creates a touch of uncertainty in your mind. And Virat’s absence is going to be crucial as well," said a measured Sunil Gavaskar before the clash.
Logically too, Pakistan were a much more stable side ever since the Champions Trophy win. They were coming off a dominant victory against Australia (eh, not a strong Australia but nevertheless) in the Zimbabwe tri-series. Their batting line-up was in the best shape in a long, long time with the top three in Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam firing on all cylinders.
The Norm: Asia Cup
Pakistan bat first again. A miser Bhuvneshwar Kumar gives two runs in his first over. Bumrah backs it up with a maiden, six deliveries on a penny. Deja vu?
The pressure mounts. Imam-ul-Haq gives Bhuvi the charge, nicks it, Dhoni is safe as houses behind the stumps. 11 balls and one more Bumrah maiden later, Fakhar Zaman is cramped for room on a short of length delivery from Bhuvi. He miscues, top-edge to midwicket. Gone! And no, it’s not a no-ball this time.
Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik then do some repair work, scoring 40s and stitching together a partnership. But once the two get out, the team does not have a plan B to fall back on. Batsmen keep throwing wickets away and Kedar Jadhav has a bonanza. The men in green skittle out for 162. The target is chased in dominating fashion with 21 overs remaining, adorned by Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan’s dynamic innings.
Shambles Beneath The Sheath
The loss scrubbed away the sheen over a lot that is wrong with Pakistan’s ODI side. They have a formidable top four in the batting line but not a lot more to follow. Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is batting at five, a couple of spots higher than ideal. They have had a lot of success because the top three have clicked more often than not. Once they lose them early, it knocks the wind out of their sails.
In the bowling department as well, Pakistan are a bit one dimensional. Four pacers in Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan and Mohammad Amir scream for variety. And with Shadab Khan leaving the field midway against India, they are not left with any high-quality spinning acumen, the need of the hour on these sluggish UAE wickets.
Pakistan have crumbled time and again under pressure against India in the recent times. The psychological advantage that was taken away from the Men in Blue after the Champions Trophy final defeat is now back and how! It is now Pakistan who would be under tremendous pressure in the next match. And one knows what pressure can do to Pakistan.
With Sri Lanka already out of the tournament and Pakistan not looking at their best, the route for the Asia Cup Trophy should not be too bumpy. But as another super Sunday approaches, one has every reason to be wary and say ‘They are Pakistan after all’.
(Saksham Mishra is a budding sports journalist and a student of Radio and TV journalism at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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