The battle of Eden: India vs Pakistan

Jolted by the shock loss to New Zealand in the opening game, India will be fighting a survival battle quite early in the tournament when they take on arch foes Pakistan in what is being seen as the marquee clash of the ICC World Twenty20 in Kolkatta on Saturday.

The hosts, who started clear titlefavourites, were in for a blow in the first match itself when New Zealand’s spinners bamboozled their famed batting line-up on a turning Nagpur track. As a result, the world No.1 side is staring at an early elimination should it lose to Pakistan in the highvoltage game on Saturday at the Eden Gardens. 

As is the case with most India-Pakistan contests, this game too has been preceded by its share of drama. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Dharamsala but was shifted here after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed inability to provide security to the Pakistan team owing to protests by ex-servicemen and their families. 

Next was the delay in Pakistan’s arrival due to security concerns but the side eventually relented after repeated assurances from the BCCI. The political undercurrents aside, the game assumes immense significance for Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men after the opening loss. It has been a hunting ground for Rohit Sharma. 

The opener has scored plenty whenever he has walked out to bat and would wish to continue his love affair with the stadium against Pakistan. It will be interesting to see how Rohit deals with in-form left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir, who got him out in the Asia Cup a few weeks back.

 Apart from Amir, Pakistan have two more left-arm pacers in Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan. The team would also look up to Kohli to deliver. Against Pakistan, the Indian talisman averages 66.33 in five T20Is. The middle order too needs to get some runs. 

Though Yuvraj Singh has got a few under his belt, all-rounder Hardik Pandya has had a lean patch with the willow with scores of 1, 2, 0 in his last three outings. Left-hander Suresh Raina, too, hasn’t looked too convincing. Cricket lovers would be keen to see how skipper Dhoni shuffles his bowlers around. 

Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra have been among wickets and have been well backed by Ashwin and Pandya. Pakistan, on the contrary, would look to break the jinx of never beating India in an ICC event and they would be buoyed by the comprehensive win over Bangladesh in the tournament-opener. 

However, dubbed the most unpredictable team in the world for a good reason, Pakistan wilt under pressure every time they face India in an ICC world event. Given the record, India do have the edge on paper and the team’s under-fire batsmen will look to redeem themselves after their capitulation against the Kiwis.