news details |
|
|
| India, Pakistan promise dream T20 final today | | | Johannesburg | Sep 23
Having conquered much fancied rivals, resurgent India and Pakistan will clash here tomorrow in a high voltage duel for the title of the inaugural Twenty20 world champion with not much to choose between the two youthful sides without their ageing stalwarts.
On the way to the final, both teams have inflicted humiliating defeats on ODI and Test champions Australia and roared past other favourites like hosts South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Their successes have surprised the pundits but thrilled the sub-continent's cricket-hungry masses still recovering from the inglorious exit of their teams from the ODI World Cup in the West Indies only six months ago.
There is no Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly in the Indian line-up nor is Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Yousuf in the Pakistan team. But both sides have discovered new stars on way to the Wanderer's Stadium.
India has a new captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is a refreshing contrast to his predecessors with straight thinking and a focus on the basics of the game.
"I told the boys, 'go out and do your best after which I don't care what happens,'" he said after humbling mighty Australia at Durban last night.
Vice captain Yuvraj Singh has stunned the cricketing world with explosive knocks in this tournament and will be the obvious key batsman for India.
But besides Dhoni himself, the team has found new stars on the horizon such as Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa and a thinking bowler in RP Singh, who has joined the ever-aggressive S Sreesanth, comeback kid Irfan Pathan and the veteran Harbhajan Singh to deal mortal blows to the opposition.
Pakistan too has a new captain in Shoaib Malik, who has found match winners in newcomers batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and bowler Tamir Sohail.
Then there is the prodigious talent of speedster Mohammad Asif, all-rounder Shahid Afridi and veteran batsman Younis Khan.
In the end, which of the team runs away with the gleaming trophy will depend on who plays well about three hours of cricket on the day. Both teams are surprise finalists and undoubtedly both will give their best on the final night of a tournament that has caught the fancy of cricket lovers everywhere.
Even Australian captain Adam Gilchrist felt that tomorrow's summit clash would prove a humdinger with two evenly matched sides with a fierce cricket rivalry between them would go all out to establish their superiority.
"Both teams are playing with a high level of skill. The Indian batting is so dangerous - and Pakistan are bowling beautifully ... So I can't pick a winner because it's that type of game," Gilchrist said after his side lost to India in the second semifinals last night.
"A little bit of luck does help teams get over the line in the big game. I'm sitting right on the fence," he added.
Dhoni has been insisting that he was not worried about the outcome as long as his teammates gave their 100 percent out there. Looking ahead to tomorrow's final, Dhoni said the intensity would be there but the team would not put itself under any unnecessary pressure.
"I know it's the biggest stage and the biggest match, but taking additional pressure doesn't help anyone. We'll just take it like another India-Pakistan match. And it helps that we've been playing each other more regularly recently.
"The pressure will be immense, but not on us because I don't believe in taking pressure and neither does my team. But we need to play with intensity and we are ready to do it," said Dhoni.
"It should be a great match. You can look forward to healthy rivalry and a great game of cricket," he added.
His deputy and batting mainstay in the tournament, Yuvraj Singh, however, was candid in his view that tomorrow's summit showdown between the arch-rivals promises to be a see-saw thriller.
"India vs Pakistan is always a big game. It's a dream to get that match-up," he said.
Pakistan c aptain Shoaib Malik, meanwhile, is hoping that the team would pull off their second World Cup triumph in the holy month of Ramzan.
"In 1992, Pakistan won the World Cup in the holy month of Ramzan after beating New Zealand in the semi-final," Malik pointed out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
