India vs Pakistan: 1st One Day Preview (Guhawati)
A few hours before the start of the first One Day match between India and Pakistan at Guwahati, there are some very intriguing questions that make things interesting. India seem to have a definite mental edge over Pakistan in recent times – it seems like the new generation of Indian players are too young to remember Miandad’s six ☺ Inzi who really seeped up the pressure of these great contests is not there anymore. How will Shoaib Malik handle the pressure on his first tour to India as captain? Will he lead from the front and be aggressive or will the pressure of touring India, with an unsettled side and a returning Shoaib Akhtar put him on the defensive. The Pakistani side appear to have lost the sheen of consistency and mental maturity that they had gained under Inzi – can they do what usually eludes them; play consistently and as a team?
On the Indian side, will Dhoni continue to assert his captaining maturity? Will the greatly improved and disciplined Indian bowling attack trouble the Pakistani batting, which certainly is vulnerable without a settled opening pair and a missing Inzi? This match has an early start and dewy sub continent winters make for ideal seam bowling conditions. How will Dravid’s omission play on the psyche of other senior Indian players such as Tendulkar, Ganguly and an out of form Sehwag? Will they come out stronger after a tough series against Australia?
Overall, I would say that the Pakistani side is weaker on paper compared to India’s. There are more question marks about Pakistani players such as Akmal, Butt, Shoaib Akhtar. India appear well settled and have the home advantage as well. The ground itself at Guwahati has short 60-65 yard boundaries on the sides but definitely favors swing and seam bowling at the start. The side batting second has to face poor light, because the sun sets around 4:30pm local time but then batting conditions are more favorable for the side batting second. Overall, India Pakistan games bring out the best in players so I am eagerly anticipating improved performances by the Pakistanis. On the Indian side I am predicting a good team performance. A disciplined performance by their bowlers will make them clear favorites to win. A good batting performance by Pakistan will only keep them in the game,
What do you think?
On the Indian side, will Dhoni continue to assert his captaining maturity? Will the greatly improved and disciplined Indian bowling attack trouble the Pakistani batting, which certainly is vulnerable without a settled opening pair and a missing Inzi? This match has an early start and dewy sub continent winters make for ideal seam bowling conditions. How will Dravid’s omission play on the psyche of other senior Indian players such as Tendulkar, Ganguly and an out of form Sehwag? Will they come out stronger after a tough series against Australia?
Overall, I would say that the Pakistani side is weaker on paper compared to India’s. There are more question marks about Pakistani players such as Akmal, Butt, Shoaib Akhtar. India appear well settled and have the home advantage as well. The ground itself at Guwahati has short 60-65 yard boundaries on the sides but definitely favors swing and seam bowling at the start. The side batting second has to face poor light, because the sun sets around 4:30pm local time but then batting conditions are more favorable for the side batting second. Overall, India Pakistan games bring out the best in players so I am eagerly anticipating improved performances by the Pakistanis. On the Indian side I am predicting a good team performance. A disciplined performance by their bowlers will make them clear favorites to win. A good batting performance by Pakistan will only keep them in the game,
What do you think?
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