Preview: India v Pakistan, Super 8 Match
As Reported by Cricbuzz
There are a few games during which rankings, form, prospects and position in the table hardly matter. An India-Pakistan game is one such. The rivalry between the two teams has seen them produce some rivetting entertainers and this game could be no different. India could see their semi-final prospects disappear if they are to lose this game while for Pakistan a win could seal a spot in the last 4.
Both the teams have some forgettable records against their name and one of them could be broken when the arch-rivals go head-to-head. Pakistan have never registered a win against India at World Cups while India have failed to register even a single win at the Super 8s after their victorious 2007 WC campaign.
Both teams will be going all-out for the win knowing that it would give the fans and themselves much to cheer about, even if they do not end up taking the cup at the end.
India
India come into the match after having been annihilated by the mighty Aussies in their first super 8s match. India looked ill at ease with the bat and with the ball as they were walloped by Australia. Dhoni’s men may revisit the plan to play with 5 bowlers knowing that Pakistan are much better players of spin.
Irfan Pathan’s lack of firepower up top could prompt the team to bring back the swashbuckling Virender Sehwag while the over-dependance on Virat Kohli to steady the ship and provide the platform would be a serious cause for concern. Suresh Raina performance would have given India a few cheers, but they will want the left hander to do the kind of job he is known for rather than do the consolidating job. There have also been experts who have pointed out that India have rushed Yuvraj Singh back into the side. With his form and overall fitness being a concern, he might make way for another batsman.
India’s bowling will present the think-tank with the most questions. Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla looked only of shadow of themselves that ripped through the England side in the group stage match. While R Ashwin too was poor.
Zaheer Khan good showing was the silver lining for India and they will hope betters his performance by picking up a few wickets.
Pakistan
Pakistan come in to game carrying a bit of momentum. They managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to a brilliant lower-order stand against South Africa and will hope to carry forward their momentum. Their bowling was top-drawer stuff even with Umar Gul not being used to full potential.
Pakistan’s batting will be a worry as the team buckled under pressure chasing a sub-par target. Mohd Hafeez, Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik all failed to create an impact and it was left to Umar Akmal and Umar Gul to rescue them.
Pak will be hoping the collective failure was just a one-off incident and that the top can come good in the marquee game.
Everything looks rosy for Pakistan on the bowling front, their spinners Raza Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Mohd Hafeez and Shahid Afridi complete a brilliant spin attack while Yasir Arafat and Umar Gul are more-than-capable bowlers with both the new ball and towards the end.
Watch out for
Yuvraj Singh: The left hander still hasn’t had the impact that he would have hoped for after his return. With India’s chances of progressing depending on this match; Yuvraj, if included, could bring out his best game.
Nasir Jamshed: The top order batsman has been widely renowned as one to look out for during this tournament and he has done his prospects no harm with a good show so far. Another big game against the arch-rivals will go a long way in emphasizing his status as a hot propect.
Quotes:
Hafeez: Since we have won against them in the warm-up game, it will give us confidence going into the match. That victory has been a real morale booster for us and the boys are upbeat and raring to go against India.
MS Dhoni: We will go out their and express ourselves without thinking too much about the result. Obviously, we can’t do worse than what we did against Australia, so we should go out there and play freely. Since we have to win two matches, we have no room for complacency.
Pakistanis for Peace 
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