BUILD UP TO THE EPIC INDO-PAK
CLASH WC CLASH
When India clash with Pakistan in their first group match of
the 2015 World Cup at the Adelaide Oval, they would surely be looking forward
to maintain their sweet record of never being defeated by their arch rivals at
this grand stage. This clash has always been a fascinating one for the fans,
bureaucrats and every possible human being that follows the game, even in a
slightest manner. A
recent video published by Star Sports is a perfect example of how anticipated
this clash is and the hype that is being generated out of it. The anticipated
number of viewers for this clash is mammoth 15% of the world’s population.
Jesus!!! Both teams would fancy their chances as neither have been putting
their best foot forward coming into this world cup.
India have been playing cricket down under for the past
couple of months now but are yet to register their first win. After suffering a
0-2 series loss in the Test matches against the hosts, the no. 2 ranked side in
the world was expected to fare much better in the triangular series which also
featured England. But the team displayed a sorry figure and lost three matches
while one match was washed out. Though the perennial poor performers, our
bowlers, have held their reputation in the entire series by leaking runs too
easily, our batsmen too have not held their forte and display the same
aggression and application that was on show during the test series. The middle
order looks brittle and shallow while the top is too reliant on Virat Kohli.
Even the presence of experienced duo of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni fails to
bolster the lineup. Three early wickets and India seriously lack the resilience
to bat out the whole quota of 50 overs. As a result, the openers are bound to
play a vital role if the defending champions are to reach anywhere close to
their previous feat in 2011. Dhawan has been a shadow of himself during the
entire tour while Rohit Sharma’s injury woes seem unending. Both the batsmen
need to click together to bolster our chances as was visible during the
Champions trophy in England.
On the other hand, Pakistan too has its own stock of worries
(they should have for Christ sake). After being recently thrashed 2-0 by New
Zealand, this unpredictable side had a major boost when ICC cleared their ace
spinner, Saeed Ajmal of bowling. Ajmal was reported of suspect action and had
earlier withdrawn from the mega event to undergo corrections in his action.
However, the good news did not last for long as Mohd Hafeez was ruled out the
event due to a leg injury. Hafeez had been a mainstay for the team and was
among the top allrounders currently before he too was reported and suspended
for illegal action. Pakistan already have lost premier bowlers Umar Gul and
Junaid Khan owing to injuries and Hafeez’s exclusion does not send a right
message for the team’s fortunes. PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has named Nasir
Jamshed as Hafeez’s replacement which diminishes Ajmal’s chances of making to
the squad.
Both sides have a lot on their table which makes this
contest more exciting and a must watch. So, mark your calendars and wait in
excitement for this epic clash only on Star Sports Network. Listeners can also
tune into All India Radio for match commentary. The match starts at 0900 Hrs on
15th February at the historic Adelaide Oval.