Colombo | Amid the still-smouldering embers of an impasse that mixed cricket with politics like never before, India will need middle-order stability and a fit-again Abhishek Sharma firing to maintain domination over Pakistan when the two bitter rivals clash in the T20 World Cup's marquee fixture, here on Sunday. A temporary 'peace season' has dawned after Pakistan made a U-turn from its boycott stand and agreed to take the field against India at the Premadasa stadium here.
It came after weeks of intense parleys that involved the International Cricket Council, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Practically, the whole of South Asia was turning the wheel to make this match happen, should the weather gods allow, because of its power to attract millions -- fans and bank balance alike.
So, a train of events set off by the BCCI-instructed release of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the roster of Kolkata Knight Riders, that so transformed into a cross-border crisis has come to halt, for now.
On their part, cricketers from both the teams have also tried to temper down the accompanying swirl of hype, terming this match as just another game in the calendar. It's hard to fathom the precise nature of their thoughts in that regard, but certainly both sides do not want the result to go against them because of the frenzy of negativism it can kick up.
For that, they will have to push the thoughts of a fan backlash behind and focus on the more controllable factors.
Abhishek bats at nets
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For India, the worries start with Abhishek as he was forced to skip the match against Namibia with a stomach bug that needed hospitalisation.
But on the bright side, the left-hander batted for a considerable time at nets on Saturday evening, signalling his recovery from the illness.
"If you guys want, we will play Abhishek," skipper Suryakumar Yadav was in a mood to joke with the media contingent when the obvious query came in.
So, it’s almost certain that the Punjab man will walk in for Sanju Samson to open with an on-song Ishan Kishan. The nature of the track here also might prompt the management to bring in left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
But the inclusion of Kuldeep will have to come at the expense of a batter and the unfortunate one missing out could be Rinku Singh. Bringing in Kuldeep is also a massively tantalising option because of his hold over Babar Azam and he also had fine figures of 4 for 30 in the Asia Cup final at Dubai -- his last outing against the cross-border rivals.
Middle-order stutter
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In the run-up to the World Cup, the India batting line-up resembled a bulldozer rolling down a slope, crushing everything in its route. But the two matches in the marquee event so far have revealed a mild concern -- a propensity to lose wickets in a cluster.
India slid to 77 for six against the USA at Mumbai, while the home side lost five for four against Namibia in the death overs, but its impact was masked by a 200-plus total and a large 93-run victory at New Delhi. On both those occasions, India were propped up by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya.
But a collective effort is needed to win a long tournament like this, rather than repeatedly relying on individual brilliance. With four points in the kitty, the management would not be overly concerned about it, but they certainly would not want another show of profligacy because Pakistan have the capacity to exploit it.
The Pak threat
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Keeping up with the hybrid model chalked out last year, Pakistan have been stationed in Colombo, and it has given them a better understanding of the pitch and conditions here. The pitch at the RPICS has been a speed-sucker and the 2009 champions have five capable spinners in their ranks -- Usman Tariq, Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz.
Tariq's side-arm stop and pause action has already become the talk of the town and battle with the versatile Indian batters would be an intriguing sub-plot of the showdown.
"When you get an out of syllabus question, you try to solve it," the Indian skipper replied to a question from a Pakistani journalist.
Pakistan's batters led by the irrepressible Sahibzada Farhan, who seemed to have gotten a grip over Jasprit Bumrah during last year's Asia Cup, Ayub, and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf can pack a punch on their day.
Without any disrespect to the Netherlands and the USA, they are yet to be tested by a quality bowling unit and India possesses one.
From Bumrah to Varun Chakravarthy, India have proven match-winners in their den and even pace all-rounder Shivam Dube has improved leaps and bounds as a bowler in recent times. It gives the defending champions immense flexibility while deciding combinations. But all calculations aside, this match is all about finding that mental equilibrium and rise above multi-pointed pressures -- external and internal. Chance of rain? =========== The Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology has cautioned of a developing low-pressure point over Bay of Bengal, which potentially can mean up to 70 per cent chance of rain in the Khettarama area on Sunday evening.
Teams (from)
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
Match starts at 7 pm IST.
Colombo |Skipper Suryakumar Yadav accepted that India’s batting has been a bit scratchy in the opening two matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup, but was confident of nullifying the sling-spin of Pakistan’s Usman Tariq, whom he termed as an “out of syllabus question” during an exam. “See, sometimes there is a question in the exam as well which is out of syllabus. So, we can't leave that question. To tackle that, you have to adopt your own way. Yes, he is a different character when he comes to bowl," the Indian skipper said at the pre-match conference.
“But at the same time, we can't just surrender. We practise with similar types of bowlers and similar actions. We will try to execute what we are practising in the net sessions,” said Suryakumar. India were reduced to 77 for six by the USA and then Namibia grabbed five wickets for four runs in the death overs, exposing certain chinks in their batting.
Now, set to play at the slow-burning Premadasa pitch here on Sunday, the Indian batters will be up against the Pakistan spin battery led by Tariq, whose quirky pause and deliver action has caused a debate about its legality in cricketing universe.
“We had a scratchy start. You can't run away from the fact that it was not a proper T20 wicket. But I said earlier too that you can't actually brush everything under the carpet. There is no excuse,” Suryakumar said on the eve of the match.
“But we came back strongly. So, that's the beauty of T20 cricket. One or two batters I think taking that responsibility makes us cross the line,” he added.
But Surya knew that his side would be tested by Pakistan spinners here. The Mumbai man also said playing against Pakistan is all about taming big moments and keeping the nerves afar.
“Yes, there will be pressure. As I said, you can't run away from the fact that there won't be any pressure. There will be nerves, butterflies in the stomach when we start the game tomorrow. But yeah, at the same time, if there's no pressure, no nerves, then there's no fun to play cricket.
“And yeah, it's a big occasion. But yeah, I mean, every time I say the same thing, at the end of the day, it's just another game. You have to pack your skills, play some good cricket, focus on what you want to do better, and we'll see what happens,” he said.
Irrespective of the nature of the pitch, Surya said the team would stick to the familiar template of aggressive cricket.
Surya knew that Pakistan had been stationed in Sri Lanka since the last fortnight, but remained unfazed, and banked on his team’s experience to come up trumps.
“They might have some edge. But as I said, we have come here before, we have played in these conditions, we know how the pitch plays, similar conditions to India. It's like the same situation for both the teams. See, it's definitely challenging when you come to Sri Lanka.
"But then at the end of the day, you have to challenge yourself, somehow find a solution and come out good,” he noted.
