The most thrilling match of Cricket of this year 2010 has just started today. The 4th match is being played between all time rivals India vs Pakistan.
India is meeting Pakistan in his second game of their Asia Cup 2010. First match was won by India against Bangladesh while Pakistan lost their first match against Sri Lanka.
The pitch for this game is very much favorable for the team batting first. And thus Pakistan won this game and decided to bat first.
Batting first Pakistan were at 33 runs for loss of 0 wicket. But the runrate is very slow. They need to pace up a little to set a good target.
End of The Pakistanis Batting It Scores 267/10 In 49.3 Overs, And India Will Need 268 In 50 Overs.
India and Pakistan renew their rivalry on the cricket field as they face-off in match no. of the Micromax Asia Cup 2010 on Saturday.
Political tension between the two nations has had its effect on cricketing ties, and nowadays the teams do not tour each other and come face-to-face only in multi-team tournaments like this one. The last time India and Pakistan played each other was in September 2009 at the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa and it was a century from Shoaib Malik that gave Pakistan the victory.
This time around, both teams are in contrasting positions going into the match. Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in their opening match, and they cannot afford to slip up once again. India, on the other hand, won their first match against Bangladesh with a bonus point, and another victory will seal their place in the final.
India:
India managed a comfortable win against Bangladesh in their opening match of the tournament, but the players were not quite at their best. The fast bowlers were disappointing, and some of the top order batsmen didn't fire either. It is important that they come to the party soon, because it literally does not get any bigger than this. It is unlikely that the team management will make any changes to the side that played against Bangladesh which means that India will in all probability stick to their three seamer approach.
Gautam Gambhir was India's star with the bat against Bangladesh. He looked a bit uncomfortable at the start, but started getting back into the flow of things in the latter stages of his innings. Its important that Gambhir makes use of his form being a senior member of the side. Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli didn't spend much time in the middle. Sehwag especially can be a dangerous player if he gets going and India will be praying that he does so against Pakistan.
Kohli and Sharma fell cheaply against Bangladesh, but with a small total to chase, that didn't cost the team. Pakistan though are a much more formidable opposition and the Indians have to be at their best to come out on top. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a hit out in the middle after a break from international cricket. Dhoni looked good out there and Pakistan is a team Dhoni has enjoyed tremendous success against scoring 7 half-centuries and one ton in just 22 innings at bat, he will definitely be looking to keep that run going.
Indian Team
Suresh Raina didn't have much to do against Bangladesh, but he is likely to see a lot more action against Pakistan, and you can be sure that the Pakistan pace attack will test out his comfort level against the short ball. Raina in good form though and the team can expect him to deliver if needed.
India's pace trio of Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra were taken aback by the approach of the Bangladesh top-order, who came hard at them. All three were a bit on the expensive side and though Nehra picked up a couple of wickets, they weren't too threatening with the ball. After what happened against Bangladesh, Pakistan might also to take the attack to the Indian medium pacers and being experienced men, this time around they should be prepared to respond appropriately.
Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja came on to bowl when Bangladesh were under pressure and they did well to maintain that. Pakistan though have a much stronger batting line-up and bowling against them will be a different challenge altogether. Sehwag chipped in with 4 wickets against Bangladesh, and that might tempt Dhoni to give him another go in this match. That being said, given the success the spinners had against Bangladesh, and the lack of it for the pacemen, the selection of a second frontline spinner may be warranted.
Pakistan:
Pakistan staged an astonishing recovery after a top-order collapse against Sri Lanka. It was skipper Shahid Afridi who led the way with a brilliant century. But unfortunately for them, it wasn't enough. Afridi cannot be expected to bail the team out in consecutive games, and the onus is on the top order to take more responsibility in a must win match.
Pakistan's bowling was good on the day and that means that Saeed Ajmal might have to sit out once again. Imran Farhat might come in to open the batting in place of Shazaib Hasan, who along with Umar Amin, really struggled against Sri Lanka. Salman Butt's early dismissal put the pressure on the debutants, Hasan and Amin, who found it hard to get going.
Bringing in Farhat, who has played international cricket in the past might be something the team management will consider, though his record against India is rather abysmal, managing just a hundred runs in 6 innings.
Pakistani Team
Shoaib Malik is one of the senior-most members of the side and he has to look to stay in the middle for a long time. Shahid Afridi was quite sensational against Sri Lanka, and if Pakistan don't start off well, we might see Afridi coming higher up the order.
Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal supported Afridi, but the brothers were both run-out. That was probably one of the key moments of the match as Umar especially had got himself in and if either he or Kamran had stuck around for a few more overs, the result might well have been in Pakistan's favour.
Abdul Razzaq had the difficult task of trying to take his team home with the tail-enders, but failed. He is better off smacking the ball out of the ground in the death overs and its upto the men at the top to set the stage for him.
Pakistan's seamers were impressive against Sri Lanka. Shoaib Akhtar returned respectable figures in his comeback match and the Pakistan camp will be extremely pleased with his form. He didn't look to be at the top of his fitness, despite bowling at good pace and that will probably come with match play.
Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were slightly expensive, but their performance was probably not bad enough to jeopardize their place in the playing XI. Afridi and Razzaq were good with the ball and kept the opposition under check. Shoaib Malik too chipped in with the vital wicket of Mahela Jayawardene and he might be asked to roll his arm over yet again.
Likely playing XIs:
India: Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt. & wk), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra
Pakistan: Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Umar Amin, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi (capt.), Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Aamer, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif
Indian And Pakistani's Players Who Watch The Match:-
Gautam Gambhir: Gambhir looked good with the bat against Bangladesh. In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, he is back to his preferred position at the top of the order. If he can anchor the innings, it will allow the natural stroke makers at the other end to go after the bowling.
Harbhajan Singh: Harbhajan didn't have much to do against Bangladesh, but his duel against the experienced Pakistan middle-order will be extremely crucial. If he manages to keep the likes of Afridi quiet, it can help India pile on the pressure.
Shahid Afridi: If Afridi can go even close to matching what he did against Sri Lanka, cricket fans world over are in for a real treat. His bowling is equally threatening and he can be quite a difficult customer to handle.
Shoaib Akhtar: Akhtar is one of the fastest bowlers in the world and Sehwag is a batsman who likes the ball coming onto the bat. If he manages to get Sehwag and a couple of others early on, it will be hard work for India.
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