Unboxing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2011-12

India versus Australia has always been the marquee series since the teams played out what is called one of the most absorbing series of test cricket in 2000-01 in India. The turnaround series. Since January 1st 2000, the two teams have played 22 test matches against each other in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Unlike no other team in recent history, with probably the exception of England in very recent times, India has an upper hand over their rivals. India has won 9 of those encounters, where as Australia have won 7 of them. Rest 6 have been draws, but draws which have played some part in upping one team's psyche over the other.

India's current tour of Australia will kick off with the Boxing Day test at Melbourne tomorrow. This series is what experts are calling 'India's best chance to defeat Australia in Australia'. I'd have to agree. While both teams look undercooked, Australia look scarily raw on paper. With no Watson their batting looks unappealing and without Johnson their bowling seems to lack depth. With Siddle and Hilfenhaus expected to lead the attack alongside Pattinson and Lyon, you get a feeling there is something missing. Bollinger would've made a difference here, he's injured too. Their woes don't end here. Their 'Mr Dependable', Mike Hussey has been going through a torrid run in the past few months. Question marks have been raised over Ponting's relevance in the team. Micheal Clarke has emerged as a good leader and his batting form has shown up too, but this is going to be his acid test too. Newcomer Warner and debutant Ed Cowan are expected to open the innings for Australia. Both have been in supreme form. But as a pair in international cricket they are untested and inexperienced. It's easy to say this is the weakest team Australia has played in a while. Looking at the team sheet doesn't quite exude confidence.

While Australia played without the services of Warne and McGrath when India toured in 2003-04, they then had Gillespie, Brett Lee and the hardworking duo of Bichel & MacGill. But their batting, especially Ricky Ponting, was in terrific form. They were then led by a capable & experienced Steve Waugh. And not to forget India's overseas jinx then. That 2003-04 series could be monumental in India having self belief that they can win tests abroad. Ganguly led by example with a century in the drawn first test at Brisbane. His captaincy was a mix of aggression and caution by which India could salvage a 1-1 draw. None of that looks too likely here. Clarke still in his formative days as captain. Batting looks far from confident enough to match up to the star studded Indian line up. Haddin is no Gilchrist. But Australians are still going to come hard at the Indians. They aren't expected to give a leeway to India in any way. Bowlers will pepper Indian batsmen with the short ball. Fielding will be top notch to cover up for other deficiencies.

Now a look at India.
Dhoni as usual underplays Australia's weak line up. He expects them to leave no stone unturned to intimidate Indians. India's biggest cause of concern though is the fitness of the bowling spearhead Zaheer Khan and their highest wicket taker in 2011, Ishant Sharma. The former has a history of breaking down in the middle of a tour, more so in the middle of a match like against England earlier this year. Ishant has had concerns with his ankle. They both have been bowling in the nets confidently and are expected to be fit for the series. These two are India's best bets to set the ball rolling. Their know how of the surfaces and Australian batting will help immensely. Without Zaheer, its difficult to see India taking 20 wickets in a match. Umesh Yadav will shore up a the third seamer. His pace and his rip will cause some discomfort. Ravichandran Ashwin walks in to the line up for this series with a reputation. Australians will be very vary of him. Pitches here will offer some spin, especially Sydney. His role will be very crucial. Australia, with the exception of Clarke, Hussey, aren't the best players of spin. Batting will be India's best chance. Australia doesn't have a Steyn or Anderson that Indian batsmen will need to guard against. Gambhir and Sehwag will tear into anything loose. Gambhir needs runs to back him. Then in the line up come the three "creaking terminators" as Dravid termed them in his legendary speech at the Bradman Oration. Dravid, Tendulkar & Laxman tour Australia for possibly the last time in their cricketing careers. This would be Tendulkar's fifth tour and Dravid & Laxman's fourth. They would love a 'test series win in Australia' in their CVs when they hang their boots. More over Dravid and Tendulkar, it's Laxman who would be giving Aussie bowlers nightmares. The numbers speak for themselves. The sixth batsman slot will be taken up by Virat Kohli after his reassuring knocks against West Indies in the tests. Rohit Sharma is knocking the doors too hard for Kohli's comfort. It's healthy competition though. So much depends on this one man, Dhoni. His unaffected demeanour, calm exterior and the passive aggressive intent not only keeps his team composed but it doesn't give a hint of what's going on in his mind to his opposite number. His wicket keeping has always been effective if not flamboyant. His batting though will be thoroughly tested by Australian pacers in this tough wickets.

Australians have a lot to pay India back for. The 2-0 'brownwash' in the 2010 series in India and the defeat in the quarter finals of the World Cup. Both teams have been beaten to pulp in the recent past by the Englishmen. This series will be a test of mettle for every player, more so for the two captains. There are some legends in both line ups. Hussey and Ponting for Australia and Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman for India. Some upcoming youngsters in Warner, Pattinson, Lyon, Ashwin, Kohli, Yadav, Sharma & Christian. After the short (two test series) & absorbing Australia - South Africa test series acted as an 'appetizer', this series is the best 'main course' a test cricket afficionado could have asked for. Come tomorrow, brace yourself for some sleepless mornings watching the match and restless days in anticipation for next day's play.

Calm Post The Storm

Almost nine months since India clinched the World Cup 2011, international cricket has witnessed a sea of change. Change of captains for various teams. Crucial personnel have hung their boots. Debutants have taken centrestage and proved their worth in the international arena. 2011 has been a year where no one team have been able to declare supremacy. India, England, Australia and surprisingly Pakistan have had their moments, but none of them have dominated. As teams are gradually going through a transition phase, the right captains are being sought for.

Post April 2nd, eight of the ten test playing teams (including Zimbabwe) have seen a change in leadership. Only Dhoni for India and Sammy for West Indies have retained their roles 9 months since the World Cup. Both Dhoni and Sammy would are a part of their test teams purely as captains. They would've struggled to find a place in their sides based on purely batting, bowling or in Dhoni's case wicket keeping skills. In the ODI teams though, both have greater value. Dhoni, is a match winner for the team and Sammy makes up for lack of ground breaking skill with passion, energy and positivity.

Dhoni, post a dream World Cup, had a nightmarish tour of England. Having been blanked 8-0 in tests, ODIs and the only T20I, the captain was under immense pressure. Once back home, the team gathered steam against the same opposition and brown washed the visiting England 5-0 in ODIs with a team of youngsters in the absence of several seniors. The visiting West Indies got a taste of India's comeback abilities in the 2-0 test series defeat. Dhoni continues to back the youngsters and gets the best out of them. Seniors too have seemed content with Dhoni's captaincy.

Most teams have opted for a younger captain, whilst the veteran in team the plays senior mentor. Puzzling though has been the case of Sri Lanka, the World Cup runners up, where experienced campaigner Sangakkara retired immediately after the defeat in the finals in order to hand over the mantle to a younger captain. As events took turn, Tilakaratne Dilshan, who is older than Sangakkara was handed captaincy as it was felt Angel Matthews, the natural successor IMHO, was too young and inexperienced for the role. Logic would've dictated Sangakkara to have stayed on for a while more and groom Matthews or put the responsibilty on Matthews' shoulders like Kiwis did in 1996 with Lee Germon and South Africa did in 2003 by naming Graeme Smith as captain. Dilshan's reign hasn't exuded confidence up till now. Defeat in England in both tests and ODIs was followed up defeat at home against defiant Australians. Latest tour to the Middle East against Pakistan too ended in embarrassing defeats in Tests and ODIs.

While South Africa have opted for separate captains for the longer and shorter formats in Graeme Smith (for tests) and AB de Villiers (for ODIs & T20Is), England have gone a step ahead and have named three separate captains for the three formats. Andrew Strauss will continue to lead the test squad, Alastair Cook for ODIs and Stuart Broad for T20Is. While South Africa recently played a closely fought home series against Australia, losing the ODIs 2-1 and drawing the test series 1-1, England have had a dream run in tests and a horror run in ODIs. While South Africa will visit New Zealand this summer, England will play a rejuvenated Pakistan and a dispirited Sri Lanka in away conditions in the next few months.

It is never uncomplicated when it comes to Pakistan. Shortly after the World Cup, Afridi citing incompatibility with the Pakistan Cricket Board and then coach Waqar Younis, quit captaincy and announced untimely retirement from international cricket. Misbah ul Haq took charge of captaincy. Recent series win against the Sri Lankans must've given the Pakistanis a lot of heart. Youngsters taking responsibilities and veterans playing their role to the 'T', has been something Pakistan has been aiming for. In between these successes, former captain Shahid Afridi announced his return from retirement and declared his availability for selection for the ODIs against Sri Lanka. Selected he was and played match winning roles in the 4-1 series win.

For Australia, expectedly, Micheal Clarke has taken over as captain for Tests & ODIs and Cameron White for T20Is. Former captain Ricky Ponting still is a part of the Test and ODI teams. But the scrutiny on every performance of his increases as youngsters like Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson have been knocking the selection doors quite hard. Clarke's run up till now have been impressive and his personal form too seems to have flourished off late. His captaincy will be though tested against the visiting Indians later this summer.

New Zealand, since the World Cup haven't played much cricket. In captaincy news, Daniel Vettori announced retirement from the shorter formats to elongate his test career. Ross Taylor was named his successor for ODIs and T20Is. Their tour of Zimbabwe was marked by some good performances by the visitors and creditable fight backs from the home team. They have a tough tour of Australia ahead and they will be playing hosts to the warmed up South Africans later in the summers.

Bangladesh and Zimbabwe too have new captains after the World Cup. Shakib al Hasan and Elton Chigumbura have been replaced by dimunitive Mushfiqur Rahim and the enterprising Brendan Taylor. While Rahim hasn't had the best of times to begin with, Taylor has had an exceptional run. The team under him seems to have found the will to fight and he himself has lead by example in both Tests and ODIs. The chase of 328 against New Zealand in the third ODI recently showed that the team has enormous will to fight.

While the ODI sides have already begun targeting the World Cup 2015 in Australia, there is immense commotion on the top of the test rankings. England snatched the top ranking from India earlier this year. India & South Africa too are fighting hard to challenge England's recent rest domination. The next four months should make up for an interesting viewing as New Zealand & India tour Australia, Sri Lanka visits South Africa and South Africa in turn will travel to New Zealand. England's test match skills will be put to test as they visit Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Rahul Dravid: India's Perpetual Go To Man

If Indian cricket were a school, Dravid is the front bencher who'd raise his hands for everything the teacher asks the class. Still, he would be shadowed by the brighter, smarter, cheekier others. Since he made his ODI debut in Singapore in 1996 and test debut at Lord's in the same year, many questions have been asked of him, which he in his calm demeanour, has answered with a straight bat.

He was, in his initial years in international cricket, dubbed as a test specialist. He couldn't find gaps, couldn't get the quick singles, failed to up the ante when required and didn't have the all round ability to hold his spot in the team. Thus he was dropped for other options, who too didn't do well enough to keep Dravid out for long. The 1999 World Cup was his watershed moment in ODIs. He was the leading run getter in the tournament with a whopping 461 runs, even though India didn't get to the semi finals. His spectacular stand of 318 against Sri Lanka at Taunton with Ganguly is now more famous for the latter's 183. But, not many would remember it was Dravid who started attacking the Lankan spinners. Most memorable is his six over covers off Muralitharan.

He fell off the selectors' radar yet again in 2001 after a string of poor scores in ODIs. In 2002, the then captain, Sourav Ganguly bestowed faith in him and entrusted in him the task of keeping wickets for the team. This was to be a big challenge for Dravid. He was to bat at no. 5, shepherd the youngsters and the tail and keep wickets for 50 overs. A task he did remarkably well. If in school, Dravid would've been asked to prove his all round worth, even though he's terrific at the one thing he did.

His worth became that of an all rounder in the team. The first series he performed this role in was the historic NatWest Trophy in England in 2002 which India won by 2 wickets. He would continue this role till India found a replacement in Parthiv Patel in 2004.

Dravid performed the role of a vice captain under the astute leadership of Ganguly from 2000 to 2005 and lead the team in the captain's absence. Ganguly's personal form began to falter and the mantle of captaincy fell on Dravid amidst controversial circumstances. It was rumoured, Ganguly was ousted due to his closeness with the coach Chappell. In school, he would've been accused of influencing the class teacher to be made the class monitor.

Under his leadership in Greg Chappell's term as coach, India did very well as a ODI side. Dravid's personal form with the bat was golden. Though the team's resentment towards the coach was visible, it spurred on field only in the 2007 World Cup. India crashed out of the tournament in the league stages. Team's differences with the coach surfaced. Dravid soon resigned as captain and soon found himself out of the ODI team for younger, fresher faces. By now, he had scored over 10000 runs in both forms of the game and had guided youngsters like Yuvraj, Kaif, Raina, had record aggregate partnerships with Tendulkar & Ganguly and made a name for himself amongst the legends of the game. All this while, he continued to be the backbone of the Indian test outfit with the nickname 'The Wall'.

Dhoni was made the ODI captain and Kumble the test captain. In a move, many thought was stupid, he was brought back into the ODI team in 2009 for the tri nation cup in Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy in South Africa. India won the former and crashed out in the latter which again resulted in Dravid being dropped.

Just when all seemed rosy for the class, Dravid is roped in to make a difference and he doesn't do too badly in the chances given. He again is subdued for a new face. Frustration for which he never showed on his game. He continued to do his best in every opportunity he got. Played enterprisingly in his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore's march to the finals in 2009.

Yet again, after India's debacle of a test series in England following the highs of the World Cup win (which Dravid wasn't a part of, not even the probables), Dravid was included in the ODI side, seriously injury ravaged and short on confidence. Dravid, by then, had had enough of this see-saw'ing'. He swiftly accepted his inclusion and announced this as his last limited overs series. His action implied he didn't anymore want to be someone whom selectors could toy around with.

One can confidently say he has a lot more to offer to the Indian test side. His three centuries against England in a series no other Indian could manage a three digit score stands proof for that.

An article on Cricinfo talking about Dravid's career and retirement summed it up in it's headline which read, "The misfit who thrived". He thrived and how! Many a young Indian cricketer and youth would find Dravid as the perfect role model. He is probably the epitome of soft spokenness, selflessness and calm demeanour displayed while playing for a cricket crazy nation like ours.

Being Sachin Tendulkar

Fifteen months ago, post Sachin Tendulkar's epic 200* against South Africa at Gwalior, I wrote an article on how Sachin Tendulkar could be an underdog for the expectations the 1 billion people have from him. Fifteen months hence, after he has accomplished bigger tasks in international cricket, 50 test match centuries, 99 international centuries, World Cup winners' medal, brownwash of the Australians; he still must bow down to the infinite expectations of his fans (and detractors). People call him 'God'. I must know, could even the 'almighty God' live up to the expectations we have from him? 
Everything Tendulkar does, he faces criticism. Scores two hundreds against England & South Africa in the World Cup, India fails to win either of the two matches. Resultant verdict: If Sachin Tendulkar scores a hundred, India won't win the match. How much more hurtful could a comment get? 20+ years of serving the team, 30000+ international runs add 200 odd catches 199 wickets. Young turn Virat Kohli summed up Tendulkar's contribution of Indian cricket after the World Cup final win "Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It was time we carried him." How many of us disagree with him? I for one, can't. Undeniably, Tendulkar has carried India through even its worst phases. The reason for his stardom is his superhero like, lone warrior like image that has captivated the fans. We (some of us) blame him for only aiming for personal milestones and not team/national glory. Milestones are important in one's career. But is that alone sufficient as a motivational factor to prolong a career for over 20 years? Don't think so. It's passion, love for the game (and all that jazz) which makes him the powerful figure that he is today in international cricket and world of sports. 

How much more should he prove on field? He has maintained a spotless image in public glare over 20 years. Now, the media and us fans look for the first opportunity to put his image at test. He has been blamed of choosing IPL over WI tour for he decided to skip the latter to get some rest before the gruelling tour of England. He has been accused of trying to evade taxes. Media reports he claimed he is an actor, not cricketer to get a tax break of Rs 2 crore. Now, my question. How abnormal is it for someone to try and evade taxes? Why make a mountain out of a mole hill? We (fans) titled him 'God'. There were no such 'self proclamations' by the humble man. Why is it so tough for us to digest Sachin Tendulkar, at the end of the day is a human. Not at any point in this article have I said Tendulkar shouldn't be criticized. All I say is, he deserves a little more respect than what is meted out to him by his own fans (us).

Indian Premier League 2011: Almost Glad It's Over

Fourth edition of Indian Premier League has been surely the most dullest of all 4 yet. The 2011 edition had two new team participating which understandably resulted in an increase in the number of matches played. Though 4 best teams in the competition made it to the play offs, there was monotony, boredom and lack of interest in the middle and latter stages of the competition. After the World Cup win, even the appetite for cricket of the insatiable Indian cricket fan was whetted. The 51 day IPL extravaganza was just saturation Indian fans hadn't experienced before.

Chennai Super Kings retained the trophy after clinical performance against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and rampaging Chris Gayle. Mumbai Indians, after dominating the initial leg of the competition lost their win with a string of losses, yet made it to the play offs. Kolkata Knight Riders, under new leadership of Gautam Gambhir and a good all round team made their first play off in IPL history. Some exhilarating individual performances were witnessed, some exciting new talents were unearthed, some old war horses continued to prove their immense worth, some talented players flopped and some teams came a cropper in a tough competition.

Rahul Sharma surely has been the find of the season. The leg spinner earned repute for his probing line and length and excellent variation very crucial in the T20 format. Iqbal Abdulla, Paul Valthaty, Ashok Menaria, Sreenath Aravind were other domestic talents who made a name for themselves this season. Ravichandra Ashwin, Manoj Tiwary, Ambati Rayudu, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma presented case for themselves for selection with good performances.
Chris Gayle, James Hopes, Micheal Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Doug Bollinger, Lasith Malinga, Adam Gilchrist were surely the best overseas players in the tournament. Their presence in the team made enormous difference to the team's fortunes. A special mention here for Chris Gayle who well and truly changed Royal Challengers Bangalore's fortune with his mighty hitting and calm demeanor. Every time he came on to bat, he lit the stage alight. He missed out in the all important finals but had done enough to instill fear in every bowlers minds.

Indian World Cup heroes Tendulkar, Dhoni, Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina, Harbhajan, Munaf, Yusuf Pathan, Kohli were all backbone of their respective teams. Their presence boosted the team's morale as well as saleability of the team to the fans. Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings benefitted from having more than one member of the World Cup winning Indian team in the squad. Kings XI Punjab & Rajasthan Royals in a way suffered by not having Indian stars or the local flavour in their teams. Kochi Tuskers Kerala had son of the soil, Sreesanth in their team who made up for the lack of other big Indian stars.

Malinga's retirement from tests, Gayle, Bravo & Pollard's omission from WI team against Pakistan for opting IPL to national committments, injuries to Sehwag, Gambhir, Gambhir's decision to play IPL and skip India's tour of WI for treatment re-ignited the debate whether IPL should get a separate window in ICC's Future Tours Programme. Tony Grieg's strong criticism of the IPL and claiming ICC to be highly influenced by BCCI  made a talking point half way though the tournament. Shane Warne's public spat with RCA secretary Sanjay Dixit too made big news. An extremely avoidable issue which was blown in the media by childish behaviour by the champion leg spinner and the administrator.

I strongly opine IPL mustn't get a separate window. Getting that would mean complete domination of BCCI over ICC. Separate window would also result in all T20 leagues around the world requesting for windows in the FTP. ICC must have a stronger say in the happenings in the IPL. Shortening the duration of the tournament and allowing senior players to rest, reduction in travel time between matches and cut down on endorsements which make the player jersey look like trash are amongst the issues players would want ICC to take up with the IPL Governing Council; which by the look of things may never happen.

Author also writes on http://www.isport.in/

MI vs CSK at Wankhede - An IPL 2011 Experience

First ever Guest article on Straight Drives. Shruti Mehta pens her first piece about her experiences at the Mumbai vs Chennai IPL match played at the Wankhede Stadium. 

It’s rare to find a household in India where cricket fever does not exist. I come from one where my younger brother, as every young Indian boy, once aspired to become Sachin Tendulkar. After the introduction of IPL, 4 years back, the atmosphere in my house would be electric, with each one of us choosing our favourite teams and players and cheering on. IPL 3 for me was quite an experience, as not only did I follow it religiously, I also went for 2 matches, including the spectacular finals at the D.Y. Patil stadium. However, the excitement for IPL 4 was dulled after the super exciting World Cup journey of the Indian cricket team.

The teams I decided to support this year are Mumbai Indians (I’m a Mumbaikar), Rajasthan Royals (for my marwadi roots and Dravid love), Pune Warriors (I studied there plus new found love for Yuvraj) and a wee bit support to Delhi (for the Morne Morkel love of course). So I jumped when my cousin called saying he had tickets for MI v/s CSK at Wankhede. 

This being my first visit to Wankhede left me super excited (and of course, the excitement of watching Sachin and Dhoni play live again). The atmosphere was electric with MI fans shouting away. The tickets in the Sachin Tendulkar stand offered a spectacular view and we were all set to scream our lungs out and cheer for the God. MI’s innings started off slow with a brilliant bowling attack by Albie Morkel. It was heart breaking to see Sachin get out so soon and miss the orange cap. Rohit Sharma however, chose this day to prove to others why the Ambanis paid him that huge sum.  Rohit and Ambati set the pitch on fire with their shots. Symonds also made the needed contribution to set up a somewhat achievable total of 164 for Chennai Super Kings.

CSK made a start with a boundary but what stays in my mind is the way Pollard lunged to try and stop that four. That man just stands out anywhere, not only with his height but also his excellent fielding. He just reaches out and grabs the ball where others run behind it. Mike Hussey and Badrinath seemed to have set the momentum in place when out went Hussey and the game swung back in favour of India. Harbhajan Singh was in top form, probably inspired by looking at someone holding a poster saying special ‘Pav bhajji’ for Dhoni with a very cute caricature of Bhajji.

Excellent catches and brilliant fielding led to Harbhajan Singh walking away with 5 wickets and the man of the match. I must mention that every time the commentators talked about the Mumbai Indians fielding, the camera zoomed in on a grinning Jonty Rhodes enjoying the match.

Needless to say, Mumbai Indians won the match, leaving most people in the stadium happy (except the uncle sitting behind us who insisted on abusing the MI team in a most unsporting way). 

Post this match, my interest in IPL this year is slowly coming back. It might not evoke as strong emotions as for the match winning Indian cricket team, but it’s still a joy watching my favourite players on the field. I hope to go back to Wankhede for one of the play off matches. Till then, I will be happy yelling at the TV and cheering for my favorite teams. 

Follow Shruti Mehta on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/shrumehta

Delhi Daredevils: Team Preview & Expectations

Indian Premier League III ended with much fanfare with Chennai defeating Mumbai in the finals. And what followed it was mayhem. Corruption charges, Lalit Modi, endless speculation etc. Chirayu Amin took the post of the Commissioner of the IPL and then took place the auctions of 2011, where two new teams too had a chance to buy players for their team. All teams got reshuffled. Delhi Daredevils, the team I look forward to, retained their marquee man Virender Sehwag. Delhiites will be sad to have lost Gautam Gambhir who will now captain Kolkata Knight Riders.

Sehwag has a strictly good team at his disposal. On paper, he has the most explosive top three in his team in himself, Warner and Aaron Finch, but as we go down the middle order, the team lacks firepower. Travis Birt, youngsters Matthew Wade and Robin Bist who was a part of Rajasthan's Ranji Trophy winning team & Colin Ingram, the bright Protean youngster, will be expected guard the slide if the openers fall early. Middle order could also be manned by India rejects Sridharan Sriram and Venugopal Rao. One big advantage this team has over any other team in this IPL is the presence of many all rounders and utility cricketers. Irfan Pathan, Roelf van der Merwe, James Hopes, Andrew McDonald make for the most lethal lower middle order in the competition. In Naman Ojha, Delhi has a fine wicket keeper option, somehow who can bat explosively and can even open the innings. That gives the captain a lot of options. Spin department is where Delhi is going to suffer the most. Except for van der Merwe and Rajesh Pawar, the team only has a few slow bowlers in reserves. Shahbaz Nadeem maybe tried and might even get the success Shadab Jakati has got for Chennai in the last few editions. Morne Morkel will by far be the captain's go to bowler. One of my favourite Indian bowlers, Agarkar, Salvi, Umesh Yadav and Ashoke Dinda will be Morkel's support with the new ball.

Delhi has a good mix of youth and experience. But what's missing from the team is an assurance. Top order looks promising, but the middle order weak. Pace bowling department looks well equipped, but spin department totally bare. They have all rounders in numbers but none that could change the course of the game like an Afridi, Symonds or Yusuf Pathan. Delhi, looking at the team, on paper it would do enormously well for itself getting into the semi finals. Getting through to the finals and winning it will just be a huge bonus. Chennai, Mumbai, Pune looks the most balanced team in the competition. Delhi, along with Kolkata, Deccan, Bangalore look an unstable unit. Rajasthan, Punjab and Kochi, by the looks of it lack firepower. They don't enough impact players to make an instant difference to the outcome of the match.

Here's to an amazing Indian Premier League 4. 

Dhoni's India Rewrites History - We Are World Champions

Euphoria. Delight. Excitement. Thrill. Tears of joy. Contentment. Sense of achievement.

It was all there on the 2nd of April at the Wankhede. India defeated Sri Lanka in the most keenly contested World Cup finals since 1996. India had done the impossible, by defeating Australia and Pakistan in back to back knock out game in the quarters and semis only to fix a date with the sublime Sri Lankans in the finals. Sri Lanka had clinically dismantled both England and New Zealand in their knock out games coming in to the finals.

There wasn't much to choose from between the two teams in terms of line ups. Both teams were fielding legends on the brink of retirement. Both teams also had supremely talented wicket keeper captains in Dhoni and Sangakkara.  Hard not to bring the 1996 semi finals into focus which India lost in Calcutta after Sri Lankan spinners made a mockery of our middle order. Unpleasant scenes followed, crowds aiming missiles on Lankans, Vinod Kambli crying in the open. None of that was to be this time at the Wankhede. 

Presidents from both nations were in attendance to witness the spectacle. After the fiasco at the toss, Indians were put to field by Sangakkara. Zaheer bowled an excellent opening spell to the circumspect Lankan openers. Wickets stemmed the flow of runs. Jayawardena chose the biggest occasion to make a strong statement, he scored a fabulous 103*. Powerful surge in the slog gave Sri Lanka a confident 274 to defend. Malinga got both Sehwag and Tendulkar in his first spell. The crowd was shunned into silence. But Gambhir, Kohli put up a workmanlike stand to deny Lanka any more success on the trot. After Kohli's dismissal to a profanity spewing Dilshan, Dhoni joined Gambhir in what would now be called one of the moves that is going to be talked about for years to come. Both put on a fine 109 run partnership to almost shut the Islanders from the game. When Dhoni launched Kulasekara's second ball of the penultimate over for a huge six through long on, India couldnt have lost the game. 

The moment was savoured by Dhoni. His eyes set on the ball till it landed in the crowd. The celebrations began. Dhoni did a small jig, collected a stump as souvenir and hugged Yuvraj. Youngsters in the team streamed in to the playing area and huddled Yuvraj and Dhoni. The crowd had gone beserk so had all of India. Crackers went off at the Wankhede and the rest of India. It was Diwali all over again. There were no disagreements here, India was one. Everyone flooded the streets and the ecstasy was evident. Youngsters carried Tendulkar on their shoulders and did a lap of honour. Kohli played a crucial role with his fine 35 in the finals but what he said after the match is what is going to stay in people's minds. Every member acknowledged that the victory was a tribute to Tendulkar. 

Indian cricket team had won the World Cup and so had their 1 billion + fans world over. India had well avenged the 1996 debacle with the Championship win over the same opposition. Every time India takes field in the next four years, they will do so with the tag of World Champions attached. 28 years later India attained that glory. Special mention of valuable contributions made by Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble, Laxman and the coach courageous Gary Kirsten towards instilling confidence in this team. 

Common Opponents Face Off In The Biggest Match Ever

The finalists of the ICC World Cup 2011 have played each other 30 times in the last two years. Such has been the frequency of India and Sri Lanka playing against each other that the fans on either side have been heard praying for respite. But here they are, competing at the finals of the biggest cricket tournament. Its the third finals for either side and both have won the World Cup once each. First time ever in the history of World Cups two Asian teams meet each other in the finals. Only fitting, two of the hosts, also two of the most versatile sides have made it to the finals to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Both teams have overcome disappointments and shortcomings on their way to the finals of the Cup. One defeat each in the league stages against South Africa and Pakistan. Lets look at how the teams might be looking at each other's line ups.

India have overcome challenges from Australia and Pakistan in the knock out stages of the tournament. Both teams considered as contenders have stretched the home team but never to a bothersome extent. India's bowling a worry in the league stages looked much improved in their two knock out games. Bowlers seemed to have found some rhythm. Batting, at least to me, isn't a big worry. The power packed Indian batting has had a few uncharacteristic collapses, but I wouldn't read too deep into them. If the Indian batting plays to potential, there is no stopping them. Tendulkar and Sehwag form the crux right on top of the order and both have been in ominous touch. The Lankans must be tiring themselves on the drawing board trying to plot their dismissals.Gambhir though has been amongst runs, hasnt set the stage alight in any of the matches yet. Yuvraj is probably in the phase of his career where he can barely do any wrong. Been excellent with both bat and ball. Winning four Man of the Match awards in the same World Cup is no mean achievement. Zaheer, as expected has been India's lynchpin with the ball. The tournament's 2nd highest wicket taker, Zaheer has foxed  batsmen throughout the Cup with his excellent variations and perfect lengths. India are expected to play both Harbhajan and Ashwin in the finals. Both have looked good when they've bowled together. They together must plan to stifle Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara who've been in excellent touch.

Sri Lanka on the other hand have had it comparatively easy after their defeat to Pakistan in the league stages. They only had to face a weary and almost uninterested looking England in the quarters. Lankan openers pulverised English bowling to take the team home by 10 wickets chasing a modest score of 230. New Zealand's resistance with the bat was poorer but they fought hard with the ball causing a mini collapse, but Lanka won the game by 5 wickets. Both England and New Zealand are traditionally poor players of spin. All Sri Lanka had to do was to spin a spin web around. Sri Lankan top order is in fantastic touch. Middle order though is a spot of bother. Samaraweera and Chamara Silva havent been amongst the runs. Sri Lanka is going to miss Angelo Matthews dearly. He is one player in their ranks capable of changing gears with great ease. Lankan bowling has been quite upto the mark. Murali's fitness though would be a worry. Unless 100% fit, his effectiveness against quality players of spin that Indians are can be questions. Malinga and his yorkers will be something India would be working on though.

Ultimately it is going to come down to how the two teams react to pressure of the situation. Both teams have played innumerable final games against each other. But this surely is a notch above them all. I would say Sri Lanka have a slight edge over India in terms of chances. India after two mentally draining games really need to re focus on this all important game. Sri Lanka have had two breezy wins in the knock outs. They are yet to be stretched in the tournament except for their defeat vs Pakistan over a month back. India on the other hand need to field and bowl as well as they did against Pakistan to pose a challenge to the Lankans.
Both teams have a huge legend in their ranks, one who will play his last ODI tomorrow and the other whose CV has everything but a World Cup medal and is expected to hang his boots in the near future. Muttiah Muralitharan is expected to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar one last time in international cricket. As the cliche' goes, May The Best Team Win.

Finding the True Indian Cricket Fan

Historian Ramchandra Guha once compared following for cricket in India to football in Brazil. It sure it quite easy to disagree to that. Cricket in India is surely followed more fervently, with demi-god status granted to some cricketers, an obsessive that Brazilians, for all their lust for football can’t match. People have speculated, not entirely flippantly, on the economic impact cricket has on India because so many people stop working when a cricket match is on. Much of the following of the game in India revolves around celebrities/stars, with few fans concerned about the nuances of the game. Is our love for the game is deep and passionate? Is our love for the game is fickle and superficial? Which is it? It is futile to generalise about an entire country – each individual has his own relationship with the game – but certain patterns of love and longing for cricket run through the country. And outside it.

India has the strongest population amongst all the cricket playing nations and finds home like support whichever country they tour. Our stadiums are packed for every ODI involving India and more so if we are playing a competitive team. And naturally all what the spectators wish to see is an India win. But victory is unfortunately just one of the two strong possibilities and has just a 50% probability. Be it India's disappointing campaigns in the 2007 World Cup, 2009 World T20 or the 2010 World T20; the players have been criticized and rightly so, but I believe we Indians are obsessed with seeing our team only win. Below par performance by the team can not be ruled out but the fact remains that We can not digest defeat. We tend to forget all past laurels and achievements. We have achieved the Numero Uno ranking in Test Cricket and we as fans have been overjoyed. Sachin Tendulkar's record breaking 200* made us all feel proud and on top of the world. We at one time had also reached the top in the ODI rankings too. But why do failures bother us so much that we forget all the past glories and lament on the just concluded performance. Is the fans memory that short? Yuvraj, a proven performer in the shorter versions of the game has been lambasted for his poor showing in the IPL and in the World T20. Dhoni, the captain, having played and captained the team like a dream over the last few years had a bad World Cup and awkward moments every now and then which is normal, and we already have "fans" and media criticizing him. Agreed, players need to work on their fitness and abilities, but isn't it here that we fans need to step up and encourage him. Or do I have a wrong notion of what the real fan's role towards the team he supports is.

We Indians love our cricket and have lately started taking to other sports too. But do we have the sportsman spirit to digest defeat? NO! Wills World Cup 1996 Semi Finals between India & Sri Lanka at Calcutta is a glaring example of that. A steady surge by India to their target of 251 set by the Sri Lankans was jolted by a flurry of wickets and India stared at defeat at 120 for 8 in 34.1 overs when a section of the crowd turned unruly and torched seats and threw bottles & projectiles at Sri Lankan fielders. The match was forfeited and the Islanders eventually won the World Cup. This till date is the most shameful incident to have happened to Indian cricket.

The fans in Mumbai who now have termed Tendulkar as "God", booed him off the field when he was going through a rough patch and was dismissed cheaply in a Test against England in Mumbai. What's even more appalling is the master batsman being called "selfish". A man with 33000 international runs and almost 100 international centuries is shamelessly termed as "selfish" by his own fans. Not in words can my being appalled by this be explained. Thats just another disappointing example of double standards that we Indian cricket fans carry.

Another incident that happened in Calcutta was after Tendulkar was run out against Pakistan in the Asian Test Championship match in 1999. Calcutta crowd had yet again turned unruly and threw bottles on Pakistani fielders. Spectators had to be evacuated for the rest of the day and robbed the match of an interesting finish. It was a match India would have expected to win, but Shoaib Akhtar and a fighting Pakistan unit had other plans, and India ended up losing it.

Why do we have this innate need to be destructive and abusive when our team does not do well? Is it a part of us being Indians or we are purely obsessed with the sport and cant forgive our players for bringing us shame by losing a few matches? I observed a popular cricket writer on Twitter saying "I sincerely hope Ireland scores over 280 or so and makes these motherfuckers earn a victory", during the India vs Ireland game today when a Irish pair played exceedingly well against the Indian bowling. Now what do we call this? What I am astonished about is the pure disrespect for those very individuals who are playing for the country. That probably is the reason why India has never had a Chaudhary Abdul Jalil more popularly known as Chacha Cricket of Pakistan or something like the Barmy Army (English Cricket supporters). We Indians being the most maniacal followers of the game havent really been the best supporters of our own team, let alone the game as a whole. How else would the demeaning and appalling forums; online & on TV talking about the team's poor performance, personal attacks on various players, demanding Dhoni to be axed as captain be explained.

Cricket in India, sadly, is tied up with nationalism. This is a product of our past: for the first few decades of our independence, there was nothing at which an Indian could point and say, “Ah, India dominates in that, it can show the rest of the world how it’s done.” Cricket, for what its worth, turned out to be something we weren’t too bad at. The 1983 World Cup win, 1984-85 World Series win, cricketers like Gavaskar, Kapil Dev & Tendulkar gave reasons to the fans to find obsession with the game.

Not matter what the result of this World Cup is, I will continue to be a cricket fanatic and an ardent supporter of the Indian cricket team. I call myself a rational cricket fan. May not sound the best, but surely makes sense to me for I do not resort to abusive and destructive behaviour when the team is struggling and needs support of their fans. For all the disappointments we have in our lives, we've found scapegoats in our cricketers who bear the brunt of being in the national side of the most popular sport in a country of more than a billion people. Trying to be slightly supportive to our cricketers might be a beginning to a better fan - idol & fan - sport relationship.

World Cup Special: Men Who Mattered

Change they say is the only constant! Its no different in Cricket than it is elsewhere. Legends must retire for new legends to be born. Most successful international players dream of a World Cup swansong. Some are fortunate to hang their boots with a successful World Cup campaign and some leave after a disappointing first round exits like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Inzamam Ul Haq after the 2007 World Cup. This tournament will see some of the modern day legends of the game playing their last World Cup. Each of these players have played a major role in their team's progress over the last ten years. They have mentored newcomers over the last decade a some have even captained their side for a long or a short while.

Ricky Ponting

Who would have expected the diminutive middle order batsman to go on to be a part of three wWorld Cup winning teams and lead Australia to wins in two of them. A batsman par excellence and a never say die captain. Ricky is the second highest century maker in ODIs and tests next only to Tendulkar. He was made the ODI captain in 2002 and lead Australia to an undefeated World Cup win in 2003. He played a major part in the win as he demolished the Indian bowling in the finals along with Damien Martyn. He scored a masterful 140* which remains one of the best knocks to have been played in a WC final. He lost most of his important personnel after the 2007 WC. He has had to rebuild the team and that has been no mean an achievement. He remains the lynchpin of the Aussie batting line up and will play a crucial role if Australia were to defend the Cup successfully. Veteran of four World Cups, Ricky starts this World Cup second on the overall run-list behind Tendulkar with 1537 runs. He had a terrific 2007 World Cup scoring 539 runs leading Australia to another spectacular World Cup win. 


Jacques Kallis

No less a talent than Ponting or Tendulkar. Kallis, for me, might even be a notch higher than Ponting in terms of contribution to his team. He, in my list, would be counted amongst the two best all rounders ever only behind Sir Garfield Sobers himself. Kallis is almost as effective with the ball as he is with the bat. Made his debut in 1997, Kallis made his presence felt in the World Cup 1999 with his swing bowling and consistent batting. He, for a while, even opened the attack with Pollock to allow Donald to bowl first change. As a batsman, his contribution to the team has been enormous. Playing along with Gary Kirsten, Gibbs, Smith, Cullinan; Kallis made his own mark being the batsman with impeccable technique and someone who relied more on timing and placement than power. Over the years, he may have lost some pace but still is as handy with the ball.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Made his debut in 1994 and was a part of the West Indian team that made to the semi finals of the World Cup 1996 and almost made it to the finals at the expense of Australia, but for a lower order collapse. Chanderpaul started off being an understudy to Brian Lara but took over and came on his own in 2001/02 where he performed admirably well against the visiting Indians. He is considered one of the best players of spin amongst players outside of the subcontinent. His free stance allows him to use his feet conveniently. Going by his built and thinking he can't attack would be a mistake. He is capable of accumulating runs at strike rate above 100. He currently is the senior most batsman in the WI team. Him retiring would be a big loss to the already dooming West Indian cricket. He is the last trace of 1990s in West Indian cricket.

Shoaib Akhtar

He clocked the fastest ball to be bowled in World Cups in the 1999 edition. He got Steve Waugh out to one of the most amazing yorkers seen in cricket annals in the same tournament. He was in his mettle in 1999. Troubled batsmen with his pace and brilliant variations. Shoaib Akhtar is one of the senior most members in the Pakistani team. He, Razzaq and Afridi are the only survivors from the 1999 Cup finalist team. Mentored by Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in his early days, Shoaib today is leading the bowling attack with Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz to be mentored and supported by him. A successful campaign this World Cup could be a huge boost for him after a more or less controversy shrouded career he has had. He has shown a lot of character in coming back to play the game after injuries and disciplinary suspensions. He still has the pace and the accuracy to rattle the best in business. He mustn't be taken lightly at all.

Muttiah Muralitharan

It could be said, Murali had a huge role to play in Sri Lanka winning the 1996 World Cup. Him being called for chucking was taken so personally by Ranatunga, that he motivated his players and rallied them around to form a team that shocked one and all. Murali played a crucial role in the World Cup too. Amongst the best spinners and the greatest characters to have played the game, Murali must be wishing to end his career on a high after a successful retirement from tests last year. He was hugely instrumental in his team reaching the finals of the 2007 edition picking 23 wickets out of his 53 total World Cup wickets. Sri Lanka have Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv replace when Murali's hangs his boots, but no one can fill the void for the great sportsman and ambassador for the game he has been. His detractors will continue to call him a chucker and discredit him for the wickets he has earned. Chucker or not, Murali has changed the meaning of spin bowling since his debut in 1993.

Sachin Tendulkar

He sure needs no introduction. He would walk into every World XI, ODI or Tests. Tendulkar had a phenomenal 1996 and 2003 World Cups. India got to the semi finals in both editions and went upto the finals in the latter. His aggregate 1796 World Cup runs will be hard to match. He has been the backbone of Indian batting for over 20 years now. Debuted in 1989, when some of his current team members were still in their diapers, he has broken every possible record in ODI batting. Most recently came the ODI double hundred at Gwalior last year. Winning the World Cup will be the perfect swansong for him like all others, but the patriot that he is and the passion he has he would want to win it for India than for his own benefit. He found his bearings under the supervision of seniors like Azhar, Srikkanth and Vengsarkar, blossomed playing together with contemporaries like Dravid, Ganguly, Jadeja, Kambli and now is the teacher and role model to new comers such as Kohli, Vijay, Raina and even Sehwag.

Author also writes on http://www.isport.in/

Asian Giants Chase The World Cup Dream

After 1987 and 1996, this is the third World Cup to be held in the subcontinent. And in both the earlier Cups at least two teams from the subcontinent have made it to the semi finals and on one occasion even won it (Sri Lanka in 1996). Since 1996, at least one team from the sub continent has reached the finals of the Cup only to be beaten convincingly by Australia. Pakistan in 1999, after splendid performances upto the finals played terribly to lose by 9 wickets in the finals to Steve Waugh determined team. India was in ominous in the 2003 edition till the finals, not losing a single game except for their group match loss to Australia. But lost steam and plot to lose the finals by a huge margin. In 2007, Sri Lanka surely didn’t look like the best team to win the cup, yet reached the finals, a spectacular Gilchirst took the game away from them single handedly.

Pakistan as usual don’t come into the World Cup as favourites. They have come in as the most mercurial underdogs. As their captain courageous has been recently quoted, they are “the most dangerous team” this World Cup. The team has a good mix of youth and experience. Bowling attack is lead by the very experienced and fiery Shoaib Akhtar and supported by Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and less known Junaid Khan. Spin bowling department is headed by the specialist Saeed Ajmal who will be a handful on subcontinent wickets with his nippy offerings. Shahid Afridi and Mohammed Hafeez are expected to bowl a lot on these pitches. Batting looks quite stable, yet vulnerable. A lot will depend on the Akmal brothers, Younis Khan, Misbah if Pakistan are to put up and chase down big totals.

Bangladesh comes into this World Cup more confident than they have ever been. A 4-0 rout of New Zealand must be by far their best achievement in international cricket. Their captain Shaki Al Hasan is in terrific form with both bat and ball. Tamim Iqbal. Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees are the top order batsman the co hosts will depend on. Tamim is expected to flourish on the big stage. He is someone to keep an eye on for the future. Mahmudullah, captain Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim make for a strong lower middle order. These are batsman who can build as well as score at a quick rate. Bangladesh have recently relied on their slow bowlers to get them the breakthroughs. Razzak, Shakib, Shuvo, Naeem form their slow bowling armoury. Nazmul Hossain and Shafiul Islam are their opening bowlers in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza. 

This World Cup India certainly is the favourite for the form they have been in over the last year and a half and of course familiarity of conditions and pitches. Lead by Dhoni, India looks a fine unit with a terrific batting line up and without a doubt the most feared opening pair in Sehwag and Tendulkar. Bowling attack is expected to be lead from the front by Zaheer and Harbhajan. Munaf’s task with his accurate line and length would be to cut the flow of runs and contain. Nehra and Sreesanth can leak runs on a bad day, but on a day which is theirs, they possess the ability to run through a team. Indian team’s X-Factor though would be their lower order batting and their spin bowling options. Raina, Yusuf and Kohli are the best batsmen a team can ask for to finish games or set a challenging total. Harbhajan, Ashwin and Chawla have enough variety and talent amongst them to give the captain nightmares to choose whom to play. Backing them up, Sehwag, Raina, Yuvraj too can roll their arm over effectively.

Sri Lanka, with a confident captain in Sangakkara and a promising batting line up figure amongst the favourites in this World Cup. Dilshan, Jayawardena and Sangakkara are the core batsmen the team would depend on. Kapugedara and Tharanga are expected to make to the top five. In Angelo Matthews and Thissira Perera, Sri Lanka have two terrific all rounders. Matthews have more than proved his mettle in recent times with sold bowling and batting performances. Their bowling looks strong with two match winners in Malinga and Muralitharan. Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando and Ajantha Mendis will fill up the other bowling positions. Angelo Matthews and Mahela Jayawardena will be very crucial to Sri Lankan game plan towards winning the Cup.

I get a very strong feeling this World Cup will come to one of the Asian nations. Bangladesh though will be very happy if they go past the qualifying round into the quarters. This tournament might see the last of one of the best spinners to have played the game, Muttiah Muralitharan. Also would be the last World Cup for the best batsman of our generation and one of the best the game has ever seen, Sachin Tendulkar. There will be many a tribute paid to the legends. But cometh February 19^th, once Shakib Al Hasan and MS Dhoni come out for toss at Mirpur, it will be the on field action which will be talked about more than off field trivia and news. And mostly, what happens on the 22 yard strip is what makes the best news.

India's World Cup Highs - II

India and Pakistan met for the second time in World Cups at the quarter final stage of the 1996 edition. The match was played at Bangalore. There wasn't an inch the two teams could give one another. Wasim Akram, the Pakistani captain backed out of the match at the last moment citing back problems. Aamer Sohail was named the stand in captain. India led by Azharuddin looked good, they had played well in the group stages. Their star batsman Tendulkar was in prime touch and the middle order was scoring too.

 India won the toss and elected to bat. India had an unusually sedate start despite Tendulkar's presence at the crease. He was kept in check by Waqar and Aaqib Javed. India never scored at an alarming rate though Sidhu played well for his fine 93. India would never have reach 287 in their 50 overs but for some clinical slogging by Ajay Jadeja. He thrashed Waqar for 40 runs in his last two overs and scored a brutal 45 off 25 balls. India's total looked good for a win but Pakistani openers had different ideas. Sohail and Anwar come out all guns blazing adding 84 in the first 10 overs. Anwar was dismissed soon after.The most talked about moment of the match is the visual of Sohail challenging Venkatesh Prasad after scoring a boundary off him and the bowler uprooting his off stump. Soon after Sohail dismissal, Pakistan capitulated. With some contributions from the middle order, Pakistan reached 248. India romped home by 39 runs. 

Pakistani players went home to some rioting fans pelting stones at Wasim Akram's house for his absence from match and India went into the semi finals setting up their second showdown against Sri Lanka, the eventual Cup winners. 

India's World Cup Highs - I

This blog will come up with 5 of India's best World Cup moments since 1992 from here on till the beginning of the ICC World Cup 2011. Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992 in Australia and New Zealand was the first World Cup I watched as a 7 year old.

The 1992 World Cup down under wasnt the best campaign for India. Led by Azharuddin, we had already lost our first two games against England and Australia in closely fought games and the third game against Sri Lanka at Mackay had got rained out. India really needed a win to have a shot at the semi final slot. India's fourth game was against arch rivals Pakistan at Sydney. Pakistan, captained by Imran Khan, too hadnt had the brightest of starts to the World Cup. This was India and Pakistan's first ever encounter in a World Cup game. It was a tense game. It happened in the foreground as political tensions brewed between the two nations.

India batted first and put up a fighting total of 216 thanks to contributions from Jadeja, Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Kapil Dev. Tendulkar scored a fine 54 and was the only one to cross 50 for India. Pakistan's target of 217 wasnt steep but the pressure of expectations were immense. Both teams didnt give each other an inch. Fine bowling by Indians coupled with some nervous batting by Pakistanis resulting in a convincing India win. Barring Aamir Sohail (62) and Javed Miandad (40), no batsman could handle pressure. India registered its first win and Pakistan received a jolt to their World Cup dreams, which they eventually won.

This match was only the beginning of India Pakistan encounters in World Cups. The teams met in the next three consecutive World Cups, all of which India have won.