June 01, 2017
BIRMINGHAM: ICC Champions Trophy is all set to commence this Thursday, with the opening encounter between host England and Bangladesh at the Oval. However, the much-awaited match of the tournament remains the game between India and Pakistan – the notorious arch rivals.
With the South Asian rivals scheduled to face each other on Sunday, a large number of Indian media outlets covering the game believe that Pakistan vs. India game will be the mother of all games and no player can be picked as a trump card for the other team.
“India vs. Pakistan cricket's true colour is uncertainty; anyone can become the prince on any given day,” said senior Indian journalist Debashish Dutta while talking to Geo.tv on Wednesday.
“When Pakistan had the likes of Imran, Wasim, Qadir, and Miandad, India used to lose almost every time; but now Indian team has improved and is on a winning track,” he added.
Dutta mentioned that he expects Kohli and Ashwin to show for India, while Hafeez and Sarfaraz can turn the table around for Pakistan.
Another Indian journalist Vinod Lamba, a TV journalist for India News, said India's pace attack has improved a lot and it has got good bowlers who can deliver the ball at over 140mph.
“There was a time when Pakistan had an edge over us in pace bowling, but those days are gone and India has now got an edge in fast bowling as well,” said Lamba.
Vinod's colleague Saurabh Somani from Wisden India agreed, saying that India's bowling has improved a lot. “Once we used to say that Pakistan vs. India match is a game of Pakistan's bowling and India's batting, but now Indian bowling has improved a lot and it is equally a threat as it's batting for opponents in this tournament,” said Somani.
Kuntal, yet another journalist, stated Pakistan vs. India match will be a battle of nerves and the initial 15 overs will be crucial for initiating the charge. He added that even the journalists are equally excited for this match, making it difficult for them to remain impartial.
“You can't be a neutral journalist when India is playing Pakistan; everyone becomes a supporter and wants their team to win," Kuntal said.
