It’ll be trial by spin for India & Pakistan

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in Dhaka

Dhaka, March 18, 2012: The big India-Pakistan game in the Asia Cup in Dhaka on Sunday would be a “trial by spin” for batsmen and the team that will collectively tackle spin better will win, says former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja.

Referring to the batsmen and spinners-friendly pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricker Stadium, Rameez also said there was no clear favourite team for him as both teams would start on equal footing.

“Pakistan’s recent one-day form has not been great, even though they had a great year. So, you can never count Pakistan out because they’ve got individual brilliance; some of the players are match winners. And the same goes for India. So it’s going to be a very close contest,” Rameez, here as a television commentator, told Mail Today in an interview.

“I think at the end of the day whoever plays spin better will win – considering the pitch and considering the strength of the bowlers. Pakistan clearly will be pinning their hopes on their spinners. And it’ll be a trial by spin. If India can master that trial, I think they can win quite easily in the end. But I expect it to be a 50-50 contest; no clear favourites for me.”

While India need to beat Pakistan, preferably with a bonus point, to stay alive in the tournament, Pakistan only need a simple victory to confirm their berth in the final.

Asked if toss would be important in the day-night game, Rameez said: “I don’t think so. Batting under lights can have its own problems; batting upfront can be a little bit easier. It’s a fast outfield, so I think the totals would be around 300.”

India batsmen, chiefly Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and Gautam Gambhir, have performed well in both matches, and so have the Pakistani bowers, especially off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and speedster Umar Gul.

Rameez said that cricket is lucky to have the India-Pakistan rivalry going. “It’s great for the game. The world got a glimpse of an India-Pakistan contest when the semi-final of the World Cup was played in Mohali last year. The entire world came to a standstill. It had enough strength for a bilateral talks to restart at the government level,” he said referring to the prime ministers of both countries who were present at the stadium.

“It’s always fun – there’s a lot of passion also, a bit of needle also because of the political tension, I guess. And there’s a bit of class too; it’s a classy contest. You’ve got legends on both sides. You’ve got great natural cricketers. And it’s good they will be playing here in Dhaka in front of a very passionate Bangladesh crowd which always admires good cricket.”

Rameez acknowledged that the Pakistani team is likely to get more support from the local fans in Dhaka. “Historically, they have been Pakistan-supportive. But because there are legends playing in the Indian side, the crowd will also have their Indian favourite players. I expect the crowds to, maybe, favour Pakistan more than India,” he felt.

(This story first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi, on March 18, 2012)