The mother of all battles is finally upon us, and it promises to be an absolute feast at Birmingham when arch rivals India and Pakistan take on each other. The mother of all battles is finally upon us, and it promises to be an absolute feast at Birmingham when arch rivals India and Pakistan take on each other.
Compared to a decade and a half earlier, the rivalry has mellowed down immensely with India now completely outweighing Pakistan in all departments. The fact that Pakistan has qualified for the mega event stands as an achievement in itself after the side languished in the bottom half of the ICC rankings, lately.
India will head into the game with some serious confidence. Now that skipper Virat Kohli has rubbished all claims of a possible rift with coach Anil Kumble, India’s entire and unadulterated focus will be upon the tournament opener.
The Men in Blue, however, don’t enjoy a good record against Pakistan in this particular tournament, having lost in 2004 at this very venue, and in 2009 in Centurion. However, India staked a serious claim with a dominant win here itself in 2013.
Ahead of the game, India will have to look on a few things, mainly being the team combination. Considering the overcast conditions, playing with four seamers wouldn’t be a bad option, even if it means benching someone as experienced as R. Ashwin. Below, we have a look at the five tactics which India must employ to beat Pakistan at Birmingham.