Stung by the upset defeat against minnows Bangladesh, India will be under immense pressure when they go into their must-win last Asia Cricket Cup league match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday with bowling in slog overs continuing to be a big worry.
India has no option but to put it across their traditional rivals to stay alive in the tournament as the shock defeat against Bangladesh has thrown their campaign into jeopardy. The stunning defeat against Bangladesh would have certainly hurt Indians, especially Sachin Tendulkar whose phenomenal feat of scoring 100th international ton went in vain. But they have to regroup quickly and put the debacle behind them.
----- Misbah wants his batsmen to show more consistency
Pakistan, on other hand, have already secured a berth in the final with victories over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and will be under less pressure unlike the Indians. India have generally managed to lift their game when they take on their bitter foes and it remains to be seen whether they can upstage Pakistan in what promises to be a thrilling contest under lights at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium.
While Indian batting has done reasonably well in Asia Cup after struggling on bouncy Australian tracks, it is bowling which has been a cause of concern. Pacers - Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Vinay Kumar - have not been consistent enough in death overs on flat sub-continental tracks while spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been patchy.
India has to quickly sort out their bowling woes as any mistake tomorrow could see them bowing out of the tournament. Despite inconsistent show by bowlers, captain M. S. Dhoni said he has faith in them and that they would learn from their mistakes. "The bowlers have talent, it is there. They just need to execute plans with consistency. Youngsters will learn more. They will start performing. They felt pressure in the game against Bangladesh," Dhoni told Press Trust of India PTI on Saturday.
"They (Bangladesh) played better cricket throughout. They began well and capitalised on that. They made sure they spent time on crease. At start of power play our bowlers felt the pressure and crumbled. A bit more runs on the board would have been better," Dhoni said. "Bangladesh can play really well on their day, they used conditions well, their reverse swing bowling was good. And they got partnerships going."
Pakistan won both their matches, but have some problem areas as well. Batting has not been consistent enough and they lost wickets quickly at top of the order, which they need to rectify. Opener Mohammad Hafeez has been in good form but other opener Nasir Jamshed has to be little more consistent along with seasoned Younis Khan who has not yet made impression in the tournament.
Bowling has been quite impressive, especially spinner Saeed Ajmal who has bamboozled batsmen with his variety. Pacers Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema have also been among the wickets. Skipper Misbah-ul Haq knows that pressure will be squarely on India and can treat the game as a preparation for March 22 final. Having already booked a berth in the final, he wants his batsmen to show more consistency in order to win the tournament.
"We have to be more consistent as a batting unit. Bowling has always kept us in the hunt. Especially, if you have a world class bowler like Saeed Ajmal in your team, it is a big edge," Misbah said.
Shahid Afridi has been his fluent self with leg-spinners but hasn't fired with bat, having scored a zero against Bangladesh. However, he remains a threat for India. An Indian victory will not only take them virtually into the final but also shut door on Sri Lanka, who have so far lost both their matches. But if India lose and then Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh, then all three will be on four points, leaving net run rate to decide second finalist.
Teams (from): India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Rahul Sharma, R Vinay Kumar.
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan.