Record against Pakistan remains intact
Dhaka: Rarely have Pakistan managed to
maintain the tempo that developed from a great performance on a given
day. The boom in Pakistan cricket has always been followed by an
unexpected slump.
However hard Mahendra Singh Dhoni might try to
justify that the acrimony has gone out of an India-Pakistan clash,
there’s no denying the fact that such victories mean a lot to one’s
confidence.
Friday’s
seven-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20 will provide
Team India with the much-needed belief that had showed signs of erosion
following their recent dismal turn of events.
Pakistan’s
Asia Cup triumph over Dhoni’s men had forced many to believe in these
parts that India’s struggle would continue. But India once again kept
their slate clean in a World Cup match pressing home the fact that
history does count after all.
Dhoni
has the knack of pulling off surprises and decided to do something
similar again. India chose to go in with three spinners, and then to
make sure they didn’t have to battle the dew, decided to bowl on winning
the toss.
Pakistan struggled
against a controlled Indian attack and none of the batsmen managed to
provide the momentum that would have bailed them out of the crisis.
A
target of 131 was too little in the circumstances, and once Rohit
Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan provided a solid foundation, there was no
looking back for the Indians.
If
Shahid Afridi was given very little width to launch the offensive in
the slog overs, Dhawan made sure Saeed Ajmal didn’t get the opportunity
to weave magic in favourable conditions. Three fours in his first over
dented the off-spinner’s confidence, and it was too late by the time he
tried to stage a comeback.
Once
the openers departed in quick succession and Yuvraj Singh fell to
Bilawal Bhatti’s guile, it seemed Pakistan could claw back. Those
expecting the familiar twists and turns in such contests braced for
another humdinger, but Virat Kohli (36 not out off 32 balls) and Suresh
Raina’s unbroken 66-run partnership ended such misgivings.
Kohli
and Raina (35 not out off 28 balls) never showed any desperation and
reached home with nine balls remaining. The way Raina hoisted Umar Gul
over mid-wicket to level the scores and raise his arm showed the silent
determination that has crept into the Indian ranks. T20 contests are not
just about slam-bang batting, patience and application do count.
It
was always billed as a contest between India’s batsmen and Pakistan’s
bowlers. Even Dhoni went to the extent of saying that bowling remained
an area of concern. The bowlers, though, decided to put such notions to
rest.
Aided by helpful
conditions and Pakistan batsmen’s penchant for self-destruction, the
bowlers managed to put the lid on Pakistan’s hopes.
Had
the Indians held on to two difficult chances in the outfield and Ahmed
Shehzad not survived a run out attempt at the non-striker’s end, it
could have spelt further disaster for Hafeez’s men.
Such
inept showing will surely mean calling for some desperate measures by
batting consultant Zaheer Abbas. There was hardly any discipline in
sight as the batsmen seemed inclined to score boundaries off every ball.
Amit
Mishra was preferred over Varun Aaron keeping in mind the leg-spinner’s
performance against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. Having been brought out
from the cold, Mishra had come up with a scintillating show at this same
venue with figures of (10-0-28-2). Though it ended in a losing cause,
he managed to restore the Team India captain’s faith in him.
Mishra
(2/22) has hardly disappointed since, and on Friday, he along with
Ravindra Jadeja (1/18) and Mohammed Shami crippled the Pakistan batting
in the middle and slog overs. From 96 for three in the 15th over,
Pakistan could accumulate only 34 in the last five despite having the
explosive Afridi at the crease.
It
was mainly because of Sohaib Maqsood’s 21 off 11 balls towards the end
that the innings gained some respectability. As the runs dried up for
Pakistan, desperate measures were sought tide over the crisis. It only
spelt doom, as it just didn’t seem to be Pakistan’s day.
The
Indians opened with Ravichandran Ashwin to exert pressure, but it was
Kamran Akmal’s suicidal run out that opened the floodgates. Only Umar
Akmal seemed capable of calling the shots with a quick-fire 33 till
Shami cut short his ambitions.
