Virat Kohli will step down as India captain in the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup 2021. Ravi Shastri is set to leave the head coach’s position after the tournament. Former India captain Rahul Dravid could be Shastri’s replacement and MS Dhoni is Team India’s mentor at the ICC showpiece event.
There are plenty of talking points centred around the Men in Blue as they get ready to begin their World Cup campaign. But all of these will be dwarfed by the biggest talking point in world cricket on 24 October when Virat Kohli and Co take the field against the arch-rivals Pakistan in their first game of the Super 12 stage.
As a result of the cross-border conflict between the neighbouring countries, hardly anything in cricket, and only a few things in the world of sports, can match up to the interest an India-Pakistan cricket contest generates. For citizens of the two nations, it’s a battle of pride. For some, even a proxy war. For the administrators, it’s a booster dose to their financial health. For broadcasters and advertisers, it’s the ‘mauka’ they were waiting for.
For the participants though, it’s just another game of cricket. Or is it? Pakistan and their players are never made to forget that they are yet to win against India in a World Cup. Kohli and Rohit Sharma getting out early to Mohammad Amir in the 2017 Champions Trophy final loss has still not escaped the minds of the Indian fans. As India begin the hunt for their first ICC trophy since 2013 and Pakistan look to bring their cricket back on track after New Zealand and England cancelled tours to the country due to security concerns, they know that defeat in the first match is not an option. The stakes are too high going into the Super Sunday contest.
In such a situation, India have a clear edge over their opposition even if you ignore their 5-0 record against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue have been camping in UAE, the venue for the World Cup, since mid-September thanks to IPL 2021. Familiarity with conditions and pitches could play a vital role in deciding the outcome of the match. Pakistan can take solace in the fact that they are unbeaten in Dubai, the venue of the match, in six T20Is, dating back to 2016.
For India, the most crucial thing on Sunday will be finding the right balance in a team full of T20 stars. The two warm-ups against England and Australia provided the management with some much-needed answers but it is time to settle on a winning XI that can do the job. There have been enough indications that Hardik Pandya is still not fit enough to bowl, but as a finisher he is indispensable, and that means India could look at including all-rounder Shardul Thakur to expand their bowling options, maybe for a batter. After all, T20 is a game full of surprises.
Virat Kohli would not settle for anything less than a win against Pakistan as he prepares to leave India captaincy in T20Is. AP Photo
Kohli has already announced that Rohit and KL Rahul will be opening for India and he will bat at No 3. The No 4 slot will be filled by either Ishan Kishan or Suryakumar Yadav, and the Mumbai batter’s ability to play ‘360-degree cricket’ makes him a favourite at this moment. Rishabh Pant and Pandya should take up the No 5 and 6 spots respectively.
In the bowling department, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy pick themselves. The fight for the second pacer is mainly between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami. Bhuvneshwar has more tricks up his sleeve but his unimpressive recent form can go against him. On the other hand, Shami has emerged as an effective death bowler with a very good yorker. The last spot could go to a spinner or pacer depending on the pitch and India are spoilt for choices. Rahul Chahar is the spinner who can get the ball to skid on the surface. Ravichandran Ashwin is a wily old customer while Shardul can bat and has a knack for taking crucial wickets.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup win in 2009 came three months after the dastardly attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore that put a long pause on international cricket in the country. This T20 World Cup follows New Zealand and England’s decision to not tour Pakistan due to security concerns. Those pullouts will not only work as extra motivation for Pakistan, but they are also masters in turning things their way amid crisis and uncertainty. India, despite their superiority, can ill afford to take Babar Azam and Co lightly.
Over that, they are blessed with top-notch pacers like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam at the top are their best batters. Rizwan has scored 752 runs in 17 T20Is this year at an average of 94 and strike rate of 140.03. Haider Ali, and the additions of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik should provide the required support from the middle order.
Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz are the spin options but they look a bit thin in this department and on slow and low pitches of UAE, India and other teams could benefit from this weakness.
Players have always looked at India-Pakistan matches differently than fans but both sides are well aware that a defeat in the first match of the tournament against their arch-rivals could make a massive dent in their psychology and campaign. Most importantly for India, a win in the opener, in a high-stakes match, will set the tone as Kohli aims to leave captaincy with a world title win and Men in Blue hope to end the agonising wait for an ICC trophy.
Probable XI
India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c) Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammed Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Hasan Ali, Harris Rauf, Shaeen Shah Afridi, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohamed Nawaz, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammed Wasim, Sohaib Maqsood.