MOHALI: Somebody has to lose. That’s the only reality facing the cricketers and the two emotionally fatigued nations they represent. India are clear favourites but for most players this is the most demanding game of their careers. Will the batsmen wilt under the pressure of expectation? For Shahid Afridi’s bunch, chaos and turmoil are professional hazards and they have defied pre-tournament predictions by performing as a unit. Their Achilles heel is the fear of a backlash back home, and the usual knee-jerk testimonies of foul play following a big defeat. Somebody has to lose and it won’t be pretty.For all the jingoism, this isn’t a game for the common man. He hasn’t got a ticket for the match which is being threatened by prospect of rain. The politicians and VVIPs are out in full force, and the army, local police and national security guard have lent an air of apprehension to the proceedings. Out in the middle, it will be the man enjoying the challenge who will prevail. For India, that bulwark is the battle-hardened Sachin Tendulkar, who awaits a milestone that may soothe many nerves. For Pakistan, it is the talismanic Shahid Afridi, of whose fortitude and capability we knew so little over so many years. Somebody has to lose but it won’t be the man who fears failure.
India inch ahead in the pre-game stakes purely on the basis of the diverse batting might revolving around Tendulkar. They have power hitters and scrappers and even the younger lot have, in the recent past, displayed the gumption for a fight. Pakistan’s unpredictable batting lineup isn’t a pushover either in these batting-friendly conditions. But it is their varied bowling attack led by Umar Gul and Afridi which holds the key, though one big-match trump card, pacer Shoaib Akhtar, doesn’t seem to be up for the occasion. “Shoaib is not 100%,” Afridi declared, “But he is trying his level-best.” Under the circumstances, playing Shoaib will be a big gamble. Somebody has to lose and maybe Shoaib, facing retirement, already knows how it feels.For India, changing a winning combination could mean gambling with Ashish Nehra, who has been putting in the hard yards at the nets, and bringing in Yusuf Pathan for Ashwin on this track to bolster their main strength. The team has blown hot and cold throughout the tournament and then brought it all together in the quarters against Australia. Inevitably, no matter what the combination, no matter the toss and the dew, it will all boil down to handling the strain of the occasion. “By the end of the 30th you will have a winner and a loser,” said MS Dhoni, “That’s part and parcel of sport. Somebody has to lose the game.”Just try and explain that to the masses clamouring for chest-thumping rights. More than any other game in the World Cup, this will be decided not on technicalities or precedent but attitude, nerve and character. Both sides have a contrasting blend of the right ingredients. Somebody has to lose but don’t give up hope. – TOI
