India – Pakistan rivalry requires very less introduction. It can completely change the atmosphere of any venue, be it anywhere in the world. A beauty of the rivalry is that an entire British community is set to get divided into two sects come June 4th.
Known as the biggest dwelling for the Asian community in the UK, the city will wake up to an electric atmosphere, as arch rivals India and Pakistan come face to face to play their respective tournament openers at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.
Birmingham, generally busy with the bustle of the working class, is currently readying itself up for a festival.
The Champions Trophy has already begun but the Indo-Pak match day, in a true sense, announces the tournament’s legitimacy as a record number of crowd promise to flock the arena.
The build-up surrounding the match has been absolutely calm. The players have so far maintained a neutral approach. There have been no controversial statements, no one tried mocking each other and the interest in playing mind games, which was always the essence of the pre-match drama ahead of any Indo-Pak clash, looked in total decline.
The build-up was instead achieved through layers of controversy surrounding bilateral cricketing ties, internal board conflicts, rumours of rifts in the dressing rooms of respective sides.
The fans, however, don’t care what facts lead to the game between the two Asian rivals. The two sides are meeting after almost a year. The two sides last met in Kolkata during the World T20 last year, when India beat Pakistan. Therefore, with such limited opportunities to witness the two teams play against each other, fans will not write off the upcoming match as “just another game”.
Overview:
Pakistan trails India in the 50 overs and 20 overs ICC tournaments. But, Champions Trophy is a different story. The Men in Green have won two of their three Champions Trophy fixtures against India, gaining a slight moral advantage.
However, another fact to be noted is the declining worth of the Pakistan side. The side has faced a slump, a gradual one, over the last few years which has disabled them from forging one stable unit. This time around they don’t have the cushion of Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan. The batting order wears a fresh look to a great extent. The bowling department also doesn’t have much experience to boast off.
India will be a happy side, relatively. Unlike Pakistan, they will walk in with a side which is almost identical to the one which claimed the title four years ago. The advantage of having a more balanced side will give India the edge.
Tracking the strengths:
There is little margin of error when these two teams play.
India has more experienced if combined together. They will be better absorbing the pressure. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli alone can help India post a challenging total on the board. The presence of Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya along with evergreen MS Dhoni only adds more muscle.
The fully recovered Mohamad Shami, highly improved Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the unpredictable duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav along with star spinning duo of Ashwin and Jadeja will test the opposition.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has more rookies on their side. But, most of them happen to be promising superstars. They need to pull off their best showings in order to challenge India. A lot will depend on Azhar Ali, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohamad Hafeez in the batting department. If they fail to carry the batting responsibility, expect a dampened fixture. The 18-year-old leg-spinner Shadab Khan and left-arm spinning all-rounder Imad Wasim will play a crucial role regardless of the playing conditions.
Mohammad Amir, who was at his fiery best during the Asia Cup 2016, will be expected to lead the pace attack with an example.
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Nishit Nakar, Sportzwiki’s senior editor has done the preview of India vs Pakistan game live from England, where he had gone to cover the Champions Trophy 2017. Courtesy of sponsors OPPO, and their newest phone in the market OPPO F3, he was able to capture the scenario from the ground and has also spoken about India’s chances of gaining early momentum in the tournament.
Match Prediction:
India has more pros as compared to Pakistan. Virat Kohli and his side are far more balanced that their opposition side led by Sarfraz Ahmed. The match will be a highly unpredictable affair.
To conclude, India looks favourites but we cannot write off Pakistan. This might sound clichéd but happens to be the best prediction.`