IND vs PAK | Takeaways - Indian openers’ inspiring show and Kuldeep Yadav’s redemption

Rohit-Rahul camaraderie solves India’s opening woes

With India’s specialist opener Shikhar Dhawan not around, the obvious choice to open the batting was an in-form KL Rahul with Vijay Shankar batting at four. In a high-voltage game against the arch-rivals, the pressure was humongous on them to deliver and get the team off to a perfect start. 

The duo soaked in the pressure and came out in flying colours to not only get a brisk start but also to calm down the nerves surrounding the absence of Dhawan. India does have enough firepower to cover up for one or two injuries and this outing was a testament to it. Rohit took charge and played an innings of stark contrast. He is not someone who attacks from the word go and bides his time out in the middle before unleashing a barrage of monstrous strokes. 

However, on this occasion, he set the ball rolling from the outset and his innings was brimming with panache and confidence. His counter-attack provided enough breathing space to a nervous Rahul, who overcame the barrier to smash a tenacious fifty. This is what separates men from boys – the ability to shoulder a responsibility under pressure and Rohit did that quite effectively.

A 136-run opening stand inside 24 overs would have sounded like a fantasy in the absence of Dhawan, but Rohit and Rahul made it a reality with some astute batsmanship and temperament. There were few mix-ups, which was bound to happen to a new pair, but their success will only settle down a lot of nerves in the team and infuse immense self-belief to perform in the matches to come.

Mohammad Amir leading the Pakistani attack with unmatched confidence  

One wouldn’t be wrong in saying that Pakistan’s bowling attack is gradually relying heavily on Mohammed Amir. Prior to the World Cup, he was having a torrid time but the World Cup pressure has only got the best out of him. In four matches so far, the left-arm pacer is leading the list of most number of wickets in the tournament with 13 scalps to his name at a staggering average of 13.07 and an inspiring economy of 4.72. 

Coming to this game, the spotlight was on Amir to deliver and he didn’t let the pressure get the better of him. He bowled well with the new ball and kept things tight from his end and was equally influential in the death. Had his imminent peers rendered enough support, things would have been different for Pakistan. 

He was not a part of the original team and made it to the squad on the back of his reputation, one that had been betraying him for the last two years. And his numbers of five wickets in 15 games since that Champions Trophy final in 2019 corroborates the belief.  But come the World Cup, he has repaid the faith with interest.

Pakistan cannot afford to bank on individual brilliance anymore. Hasan Ali’s lean patch is affecting them massively, who was their top wicket-taker in Champions Trophy in 2017. In fact, he conceded the most number of runs by a Pakistani bowler in a World Cup game. Wahab Riaz, on the other hand, has been hot and cold in the tournament and needs to pull up his socks. Pakistan need to take a leaf out of their performance in the Champions Trophy in order to sculpt a spot in the World Cup.

Kuldeep Yadav finds his zone and zen

Kuldeep took some serious hammering in the Indian Premier League and his and was down on his hunches. Every time he came on to bowl, he took such a beating that not only his figures were hurt but it could have had drastic psychological consequences. He did show signs of improvement in the two games he played in this tournament but looked in fine touch in the game against Pakistan. 

Kuldeep troubled the Pakistani batsmen with his guile and didn’t shy away from tossing the ball up; he kept them on their toes with his deceiving left-arm wrist-spin. He not only picked two wickets but the rhythm looked impressive, he certainly found his zen and zone with a match-winning spell of two wickets for 32 in nine overs.

His left-arm wrist spin has been a mystery yet to be decoded but erred in line and length in recent times. With him back in for, there shouldn’t be a doubt regarding his inclusion in the playing XI in the matches to come. He will have a crucial role to play if India are eyeing to go a long way in the tournament. On his day, Kudeep can run through a line-up and alongside Yuzvendra Chahal, they form a formidable parternship and gun down opposition in pair and has also been the talk of town.

In cricket, small things can make huge difference and Kuldeep’s performance today should only infuse slef-belief and confidence for the matches to come.