Today’s marquee clash with India can rejuvenate Pakistan

It’s crunch time again as Pakistan take on India today, and the world’s focus is about to shift from all else to the Dubai Cricket Stadium for the high-octane Champions Trophy clash.

So what will it be like this time? Who will win and who will lose? Any predictions?

“Don’t you dare speculate” will invariably be the reply from the wiser critics and knowledgeable fans, and for good reason.

The nature of the contests between the two Asian cricketing giants has a haphazard, unpredictable rhythm, with steep troughs and crests, that continues to keep the two governments, cricket administrators, players and fans on edge, always.

So whatever has happened in the past between the two teams, how they have fared against each other of late, Pakistan’s checkered start to the mega event and India’s amazing winning streak in the ODIs, Babar and Shaheen’s shoddy workmanship and Gill and Shami’s comeback heroics, the startling statistics and mind-boggling calculations, the outrageous theories and perplexing prophecies and all logic boil down to nothing today as all of it gets swamped by the ocean of emotions that submerge the demarcated boundaries between a sporting ground and a battlefield.

At best, the nature of today’s marquee clash could, perhaps, be likened to British philosopher Bertrand Russell’s famous paradox: ‘Consider a set containing all sets that do not contain themselves.’

Though over the past few decades, Pakistan have acquired the reputation of being ‘mercurial’ and ‘unpredictable’ which undoubtedly adds a dash of romance to their cricket, the critics feel they are now becoming victims of such stereotyping.

To put it succinctly, they have either been playing to some diabolical game-plan or none at all. The electrifying body language that won hearts and matches in the 2017 Champions Trophy has been completely missing. The shoulders have dropped too soon and the players have appeared jaded; desperate for victory may be, but certainly not hungry.

The harsh truth is that they have been guilty of playing thoughtless and unprofessional cricket during the past 10 days, especially against New Zealand, losing three games to them on the trot with only a freakish, improbable victory against the Proteas saving the blushes for them.

Having said that, Mohammad Rizwan and his men will surely take heart from the grand fightback by Bangladesh against Rohit Sharma’s men in Thursday’s match. From being down in the dumps at 35 for 5, they roared back like the Royal Bengal Tiger to post a very decent 228 in the end.

As for India, they have a very settled side, boasting a star-studded batting line-up and a versatile bowling attack in Shami and the three spinners. Their drubbing of formidable England at home in the Champions Trophy build-up series will also be a great morale-booster for them as they take the field today.

But, of course, they will be wary of Pakistan’s 3-2 record in the ICC Champions Trophy against them, as well as the Team Green’s adrenaline rush – given the intensity of the competition with the arch-rivals – that could turn the game on its head in a matter of few overs.