Your favourite India-Pakistan World Cup memory is likely to depend on the generation you belong to. From Javed Miandad's histrionics in frustration with Kiran More in 1992 to the Aamir Sohail-Venkatesh Prasad face-off and Ajay Jadeja’s brutal takedown of Waqar Younis in 1996; from Sachin Tendulkar’s epic Centurion knock in 2003 to India’s nerve-racking semi-final win in 2011, there are plenty of worthy contenders to choose from. What will Ahmedabad in 2023 bring?
For starters, it’s likely to bring a record crowd that is mind boggling even for a spectacle between India and Pakistan. The anticipation has been heightened all the more by the smooth start both teams have had to the campaign.
If India can boast about ticking most boxes in their six-wicket win against Australia and cruising to a target of 273 against Afghanistan with 15 overs to spare, Pakistan have the cachet of completing the highest successful chase in World Cup history. They tracked down 345 with 10 balls to spare against Sri Lanka. Pakistan wouldn’t want to leak that many runs again obviously, but that will be dictated by the nature of the surface at this sprawling stadium on the banks of the Sabarmati River.
The tournament opener in Ahmedabad saw New Zealand take just 36.2 overs to chase down 283 against England. With dew taking effect as the evening wore on, the ball came onto the bat a lot more in the second half and allowed the Kiwi batters to play with abandon.
{{/usCountry}}The tournament opener in Ahmedabad saw New Zealand take just 36.2 overs to chase down 283 against England. With dew taking effect as the evening wore on, the ball came onto the bat a lot more in the second half and allowed the Kiwi batters to play with abandon.
{{/usCountry}}If the conditions are similar on Saturday, the news of Shubman Gill’s recovery from illness is a boost for India. The opening batter had a full-fledged session with the rest of the team on Friday, batting against Mohammed Shami, R Ashwin and other bowlers at the nets. Before the session, India skipper Rohit Sharma said Gill is “99 percent available” for the game. While India can ease Gill back in against Bangladesh on October 19, his excellent record for Gujarat Titans at this venue in the Indian Premier League (IPL) may sway their thinking.
The other consideration for India will be whether to play three spinners. The trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin did ever so well to bundle Australia out for 200 in Chennai, but the latter was replaced by seamer Shardul Thakur on a truer Kotla pitch versus Afghanistan. Which combination will they go with against Pakistan?
“I don’t know, honestly. I still haven't looked at the pitch yet, but we are ready for whatever combination we want to play. That’s the challenge going forward for us as a team, depending on what kind of conditions we play in. If there is a change or two that we need to make, we will be ready with that. And the guys have been informed well in advance about these kind of changes. So, I don't think there's going to be any issues with the players. But if the requirement is there for us to play three spinners, we will play three spinners,” India skipper Rohit Sharma said at the pre-match press conference.
Contrasting views were shared on the impact dew may have on Saturday. “All the matches that we have seen, the toss is vital because the pitch behaves well under the lights. There was a little dew, but I don't know. But last night there was dew. Under the lights, the weather plays a role,” Azam said.
Sharma doesn’t see the toss having a major role. “Honestly, I don’t know how much of a factor it is going to be, because in Delhi, we were expecting dew to come in. It didn't come. In Chennai also, it was after probably 30 overs. So, you are done with 75% of the game by then. You know, whatever the team is comfortable doing, we try and do that,” he said.
Another aspect that shouldn’t be underestimated is the crowd presence. Yes, these players are accustomed to playing in noisy stadiums filled to the brim all the time, but 1,32,000 people in a clash of this magnitude can still be daunting. For India, it’s about using the sea of support to their advantage. For Pakistan, it’s about keeping these fans quiet as much as possible.
“No, look, all the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. So, it can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you,” Sharma said. “A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheer, the noise in the ground. So yeah, the boys really enjoy it. Like I said, anywhere we go, people turn out in huge numbers. And that is good for the team and also good for the sport in general as well.”
Stacked against Pakistan is also a 0-7 record against India in ODI World Cups. “I don't focus on the past; I try to focus on the future,” Azam stated. “Such records are made to be broken and we try to break them. I believe my team did well in the first two matches and will do well in the next matches as well.”