NEW DELHI: India are vast favorites against Pakistan in the World Cup match on Saturday in Ahmedabad thanks to Rohit Sharma's composure, Virat Kohli's ferocity, and Jasprit Bumrah's cerebral talent. The contest has a captivating socio-political setting, and the ramifications go beyond the 22-yard line.
It will all rely on how well left-arm bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi's first spell goes because India is a vastly superior team on paper and has a batting line-up full of alpha-male characters. The cross-border neighbors might not be short on intent, but they are definitely short on firepower.
But in this game, emotional factors come into play, and over the years, it has produced both heroes and monsters in equal measure.
Ask Javed Miandad and Chetan Sharma, Saleem Malik and Maninder Singh, Ajay Jadeja and Waqar Younis, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Saqlain Mushtaq, Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar, Virat Kohli and Wahab Riaz, Joginder Sharma and Misbah ul Haq (albeit in T20 WC), as this contest is replete with examples of agony and ecstasy, unbridled joy and heart-breaks of a lifetime, which never seem to find closure.
Shaheen, which translates to "King of Birds" in Urdu, is a title Rohit won't mind giving himself as soon as possible within a massive amphitheater with room for 132,000 spectators.
1/10:ODI World Cup: India vs Pakistan key battles
PTI
2/10:India vs Pakistan
<p>Arch-rivals India and Pakistan meet in a blockbuster clash at the World Cup in Ahmedabad on Saturday. </p>AP
3/10:Key battles
<p>A look at four key battles that could decide the eagerly-awaited contest at the world's biggest cricket stadium. </p>IANS
4/10:Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
<p>India skipper Rohit Sharma has struggled against Shaheen Shah Afridi's left-arm pace in the few outings the two teams have had in recent times. </p>Getty Images
5/10:Shaheen Shah Afridi
<p>Shaheen rattled Rohit's off stump in their first Asia Cup match in Pallekele last month when the opener's lack of footwork saw him bowled for 11. </p>Getty Images
6/10:Virat Kohli vs Haris Rauf
<p>The stakes were high when Virat Kohli came up against Haris Rauf in a challenging chase at the T20 World Cup in Melbourne last year. </p>Getty Images
7/10:King Kohli
<p>India needed 31 off the last 18 balls while chasing 160 when Kohli held his nerve to smash Rauf for two sixes to bring the house down at a packed MCG. </p>Getty Images
8/10:Babar Azam vs India pacers
<p>Pakistan captain Babar Azam took on the Indian attack with ease as he and Mohammad Rizwan steered the team to a 10-wicket victory at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai. </p>Getty Images
9/10:Jasprit Bumrah
<p>But two years later, Jasprit Bumrah and company learnt their lessons when they bowled out Pakistan for 128 in a crushing 228-run win in an Asia Cup Super Four clash. </p>ANI
10/10:Iftikhar Ahmed vs Kuldeep Yadav
<p>Iftikhar Ahmed can play anchor or go after the bowling with equal ease but at the Asia Cup last month, Kuldeep Yadav cut short the batsman's knock, taking a smart catch off his own bowling. </p>ANIShubman Gill is healing well from dengue, and if he were to deflate Pakistanis to half the extent that he did in the Asia Cup in Colombo with those half a dozen fours in Powerplay against Shaheen, it would be accomplished.
The master puller would like to assert his dominance first, which would set the stage for players like Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul to build upon during the middle overs, where Pakistan might be slightly underserved due to a lack of quality spinners.
Shadab Khan, the vice-captain of Pakistan, has given 100 runs in 16 overs over the course of the two games, and he, along with Hasan Ali, a new ball bowler, could be an easy target for the Indians.
Keeping in mind that Pakistan's second spinner has been their weakest link thus far.
Yes, there is a forecast for bad weather, but nobody wants anything to prevent a full cricket match.
1/10:ODI World Cup: Pakistan's all-loss record against India
AP
2/10:India vs Pakistan
<p>India have defeated Pakistan seven times out of seven at the ODI World Cup since they first met in Sydney in 1992. </p>PTI
3/10:1992 World Cup
<p>At Sydney, a low-scoring affair which was remembered more for Javed Miandad jumping up and down in a bizarre attempt to mimic wicketkeeper Kiran More. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Sachin Tendulkar
<p>Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 54 as Pakistan failed to chase a modest 217-run total, losing by 43 runs. </p>Getty Images
5/10:1996 World Cup
<p>Pakistan lost again by 39 runs in Bangalore in 1996 and the defeat resulted in a furious reaction back home -- skipper Wasim Akram was even alleged to have feigned injury. </p>Getty Images
6/10:1999 World Cup
<p>At the 1999 World Cup, Wasim and his team were subjected to a match-fixing inquiry after they lost by 47 runs to India and slumped to a shock loss to Bangladesh. </p>Getty Images
7/10:2003 World Cup
<p>Pakistan lost their 2003 World Cup encounter by six wickets as they were outdone by Sachin Tendulkar's brilliance in the chase at Centurion. </p>Getty Images
8/10:2011 World Cup
<p>A high-profile semi-final also went to India by 29 runs in Mohali in 2011. </p>AFP
9/10:2015 World Cup
<p>A packed house in Adelaide saw Virat Kohli's century subdue Pakistan by 76 runs in the 2015 World Cup. </p>Getty Images
10/10:2019 World Cup
<p>Pakistan once again fell short in 2019, in Manchester, as they lost by 83 runs in a rain-hit game after a Rohit Sharma hundred. </p>Getty ImagesAgainst Sri Lanka, Mohammed Rizwan was outstanding, and Abdullah Shafique displayed his talent. On any given day, Saud Shakeel has the potential to be a "x-factor." But Babar Azam, Pakistan's captain, is crucial to the team's batting.
Even so, the conflict between Babar and Kuldeep Yadav may add an intriguing subtext to the game.
One could watch the left-arm wrist-spinner's leg-break that got Babar in trouble in Manchester in 2019 as many times as possible.
Kuldeep had previously lost his flight, loop, dip, and deception, but now that he has them back, the spinner can spell disaster for Babar and his team.
A good example is the Asia Cup game in Colombo. However, Pakistan must overcome the first spell of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in order to neutralize Kuldeep.
As opposed to spanking Matheesha Pathirana, negating Bumrah and Siraj might be much more difficult, as Rizwan and Shafique would be aware of.
India's only current dilemma is deciding between R Ashwin and Shardul Thakur, who are both vying for the No. 8 spot.
Shardul is a better option if the pitch is ideal for batting, but Ashwin is a better option with longer boundaries on each side if there is some available grip.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni disapproved of the way the terms "war" and "revenge" were used in relation to Indo-Pak relations, whereas Rohit constantly reiterates to anyone who will listen that he believes in "shutting the outside noise."
Being a social animal, it is however very difficult to ignore the history of Indo-Pak conflicts and the escalating animosity over time, which leads crazy fans to believe that this is "not just another game" but rather "The Game."
People who believe that "Don't need to win the World Cup but don't lose to Pakistan" are still around, and they number in the thousands.
In reality, all seven of the World Cup matches between India and Pakistan have been dull affairs in which India won well before the game was declared over.
However, these matches have a unique charm and archival tidbits of events that over time turned into urban legends.
Indo-Pak cricketing folklore now includes Miandad's humorous parody of Kiran More's celebration in Sydney in 1992, Venkatesh Prasad's irate farewell to Aamir Sohail, and the ugly altercation between Harbhajan Singh and Mohammed Yousuf in Centurion.
Even if India lose, it will still be just another game and nothing will change. Six matches would be available to make amends, so it wouldn't be a tragedy or the end of the road for the two protagonists.
But if India win, as it has on the previous seven occasions, everyone will have something to smile about as well as some hope and faith.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim
(With PTI inputs)
