Boria Majumdar in Dubai
It is the much wanted India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup. With fan interest at a massive high, it will attract a sell out crowd at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. But what about the game? Can Pakistan compete and push India or will it be yet another one-sided contest?
Elite high performance sport is 95 per cent played in the mind. Mentally, will Pakistan be up for it? Do they have it in them to face up to a gun Indian team? Let’s be honest here. Against Bangladesh for example, Pakistan were average. A good side would have chased down 135 with ease and it was Bangladesh that imploded. Against India, Pakistan will never have a second chance. The Indian batting unit will nail it and rub it in. And that’s what brings me back to the question if Pakistan will mentally be up for it?
I have seen teams get overcharged and lose the plot. The Indian team in the 2003 World Cup was playing some fantastic cricket. They had won eight games on the trot and yet, when they met Australia in the final, they failed miserably. It is because they were overcharged. In the very first over, 15 runs were conceded and from there on, a comeback was impossible. Australia got early control and at no point did they give India a whiff of opportunity.
It is much the same with this Indian team. With the bat, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill have been stellar in the power play and by the time the mandatory six overs are done, India are off to a flier. That’s where half the battle is won. How does Pakistan control the run flow in the power play? How do they face up to the Indian openers? In fact, how Shaheen Afridi bowls to Gill and Abhishek could well decide the game.
When I am on the issue of mental strength, I’d like to single out Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. In a clutch situation, Hardik is India’s go-to man. He will start the bowling and will also be the key in the middle order. In a tournament where the Indians have dropped a dozen catches, Hardik has held some stellar ones. He is one of those players who will want to be out there in a key game and soak in the pressure. He loves the big stage and loves the theatre. It is as if it brings the best out of him.
I’d want to say the same for Bumrah. He did not have a very good game against Pakistan in the Super Fours and will surely be up for it on Sunday. In the 2024 World T20, it was Bumrah who got India back into the game while defending a meagre 120. The point I am trying to make is that India has a number of match winners who will mentally edge Pakistan out. And that’s where the difference lies in a big game. Men like Hardik or Bumrah or Gill or Abhishek will not really care if it is the final. They will play to their strengths and more often than not, their skillsets are better than others. That’s where Pakistan will have to compete. Beat India mentally or else it will be their third straight defeat in the tournament.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news