India Vs Pakistan Match Preview - Semi-Final of the 2011 World Cup

India-Pakistan Match Preview

Among various intense sports rivalries like Real Madrid-Barcelona, Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer, India–Pakistan cricket rivalry rests on the pinnacle of this list. It can be attributed to the history and the geographical location of the two countries. Like ashes it is one of those arch rivalries which complements the sport. The gloomy political conditions between the two nations pose the biggest hindrance in the regular cricketing events between these two. That’s why the intensity when these two play each other is second to none.

 The semi-final of the 2011 World Cup featuring these two attracted about 988 million television viewers. According to various reports by TV ratings firms this figure is expected to cross 1 billion this Saturday when the two sides lock horns on one of the biggest stage Cricket. Politics is not going to deprive any sports lover from this rivalry when the title of World T20 champions is at stake. Defeating their arch rivals is the only thing the Indians Pakistanis will have in mind.

 History is going to be against both the sides this Saturday. Pakistan have played India 6 times in a World Cup and 4 times in World T20 but have failed to register even a single win over their arch rivals. On the other hand, India are yet to defeat Pakistan in a limited-overs match at Eden Gardens where the match is scheduled to take place this Saturday.  

With 10 victories from their last 11 games, MS Dhoni’s men made it clear that the desire and the preparation to win this year’s World T20 Championship is more than ever. En route T20 World Championship they whitewashed Australia on their own turf and crowned themselves with the title of Asia Cup. With utter dominance and such a good track record it would be horrendous to even think of any other team winning the World T20 Championship, but this is a format where a single over or even a couple of sixes in a row change the entire complexion of the game. This is the game and the format where anything is possible at any point of the match. The decision to keep his two of the best bowlers out raised many eyebrows but Kane Williamson making Bolt and Tim Southee sit outside with their bibs on was actually the right decision. India had no answer to the Kiwi’s spin attack. No one was expecting it to go down like this. Indian team came into the tournament with a seven-match winning streak. The home advantage was definitely going to benefit India and the fact that New Zealand had not played in the subcontinent from the past two years was enough for anyone to bet their money on India. India’s bowling attack played their part by restricting the opponents to a modest total of 127 but against the spin attack of New Zealand India’s batting attack flattened and were not able to reach even the 3 figure score. New Zealand’s bowlers exploited the raging turner and did justice to the trust shown by their captain in them. This did not go according to the script but Cricket is a game where anything is possible especially when it’s T20. As a result of this loss India has much more than just their record and ego at stake this Saturday, they need to defeat the Paki team for their survival in this tournament.