India Vs Pakistan: ‘The Road to the Grand Finale’

Around 490 B.C., in the Greek empire, an epic rivalry developed between the two main military powers, the city-states of Athens and Sparta. Not only were these powers battling for leadership of the Greek empire, but they had competing forms of government–democracy and oligarchy– a rallying point for people within every other Greek city. As a result, conflict between Athens and Sparta created divisions in other city-states, ultimately splitting the Greek world. The Athens-Sparta war is one of the oldest and greatest, one that completely changed the map of the Greek empire.

Today, India and Pakistan share a similar relationship.

Thousands of years later, today, we find ourselves amidst a very different kind of battle, one that will take place on a cricket ground between two cricketing powerhouses – India and Pakistan. Cricket matches do not come much bigger than this. Add the fact that it is in the form of a World Cup semi-final, there is no surprise that it is being labeled as the ‘mother of all matches’. The city of Mohali, which will host the match on March 30th, finds itself suddenly becoming the most sought-after destination in India. With a spot in the World Cup finals at stake, this match-up is as tantalizing as the local Punjabi delicacy Makki Ki Roti with Sarson ka Saag. Both teams are under pressure from Indian and Pakistani nationals to win this “war”, and history suggests that the losing team will have to face wrath of their people. Yet, the teams will play this match like they would any other qualifying match…or so they say

In cricketing terms, not much differentiates the two teams based on their current form. For the past two years, internal politics and match-fixing charges have haunted the Pakistan team. Yet, when push came to shove, the Pakistan team has again defied all odds. In Shahid Afridi they have one of the most gifted all-rounders that the game has seen, one who has been on top of his bowling game in the World Cup thus far. His no nonsense cricketing outlook bodes very well with his captaincy responsibility and is a perfect foil that counteracts the chaotic, cloak and dagger functioning of Pakistani cricket administration. In the World Cup so far he has managed to achieve something that lots of captains before him have failed at – keeping a cohesive mindset in the team. In Younis Khan and Umar Gul, Afridi has experienced shoulders that he can rely upon. Exciting youngsters such as Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq are slowly finding their niche in the international cricket arena. The results have reflected their hard work and resilience. Barring a freak knock by Ross Taylor, which helped New Zealand beat Pakistan in the group stages, Pakistan have been dominant in the group stages. Their comprehensive victory over Australia in the last group match game was the final confirmation that this team meant business. Now they face an uphill task, they have to lock horns with the home team, an Indian side who have their own agenda.

Barring the wins against the Australians in the quarter-finals and against the Bangladeshis, India’s performance so in far in the tournament has been far from convincing. A tied game against England, patchy wins against Ireland and Netherlands have hardly been news to write home about. But the satisfying victory against the Aussies has put them back on the right path. Led by Herculean figure in M.S. Dhoni, Indians have a leader who is not afraid of accepting his team’s shortcomings. Their fielding has been shoddy to say the least, and really highlights the lack of a full time fielding coach for the team. The second coming of Yuvraj Singh’s career has been a revelation for India in this tournament. The maturity that he has shown despite his rough patch of injuries and poor form is very commendable. Sachin Tendulkar has been playing like a man possessed in this tournament, trying to chase the only achievement that has eluded him so far – the coveted World Cup victory. India’s bowling has been getting better through the course of the tournament. Harbhajan Singh has found himself in an unusual role of being a run-saver rather than a wicket-taker, a role nevertheless that he has played very well so far. But the backbone of the bowling unit has been Zaheer Khan, who has been the ‘go-to’ man for Dhoni. Just when the opposition seems to run away with the game, Zaheer has shown his ability to get the crucial breakthroughs. In R. Ashwin, India has found a new-ball bowler with some kind of penetration, something that they had been lacking so far.

The stage is set, and it is now time for the actors to shine. It is clear that talent alone is not going to be enough. Talent has never really been an issue in an India versus Pakistan match-up. It is the fortitude to win that separates the teams now. Hidden somewhere inside this heavyweight boxing match are mini matchups and players who have scores to settle. Off the field, these two teams have immense respect for each other. But all bets are off when that first ball is bowled on March 30th at Mohali. Two teams that have the ability to bring their entire nations to a standstill will now fight it out for the prized ticket to the grand finale. Come April 1st, one team will wonder if fate has played a cruel joke on them.

Written by:
Vishwas Iyengar is a cricket aficionado and an aspiring sports writer.
Contributions by:
Bharath Chandrasekaran

About the Author

Vishwas Iyengar Has Written 1 Articles For Us!

Vishwas was born in Bangalore and raised in Delhi/London, and moved to the U.S. 9 years ago to pursue a doctoral degree in Aerospace Engineering. Having lived in three continents, Vishwas had exposure to a variety of different cultures and sports. He grew up playing and following cricket passionately, and follows all cricket around the world. He plays cricket in Austin’s Central Texas Cricket League for Cedar Park Cricket Club (Lagaan). He is also an avid long distance runner and road biker, he actively participates in half marathons, marathons and duathlons. Other than sports, Vishwas enjoys acting, Latin dancing, reading and writing short stories/sports related articles.

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