ICC World Cup 2019 | Pakistan are always under pressure against India in the World Cup, asserts Subroto Banerjee
Former Indian pacer Subroto Banerjee has called India outright favourites to win the marquee encounter against Pakistan in Manchester and added that Pakistan are always under pressure against India in the World Cup. Banerjee has also heaped praise on the Indian pace bowling unit’s diverse skill set.
It is a record every Indian cricket fan takes pride in. India may not have had a long history of winning bilateral series against their archnemesis but when it comes to the World Cup, they are ahead by a 6-0 scoreline, with the elusive win still evading Pakistan. The mental block that comes with it, the pressure that saps your mental energy, and most importantly, the billion expectations that come with every clash make the rivalry a unique one in the history of the sport.
If the rain gods relent in Manchester and allows both teams some game time, expect the chatter to be higher and proclamations of “just another game” will make way for another heavy-weight tussle. With the pressure - especially because of the political undertone between both the countries following the Pulwama terror attack - being at an all-time high, Banerjee, a part of India’s 1992 World Cup squad, said that it was Pakistan who are invariably under pressure due to their record against India at the showpiece event.
“India have done for so many years, and it will do so again. India always plays something extraordinary against Pakistan, I have seen it. On the other hand, Pakistan are always under pressure. So half the time, India are ahead of them even before the game has started. So what that results in is Pakistan trying not to take any risks against Indian bowlers because they don’t want to lose their wickets. It is the psychological pressure which gets the better of them and they can’t play their natural game,” Banerjee told SportsCafe in an exclusive chat.
One of the reasons India might brace for a windy atmosphere today is because of the pace battery that they have, which is easily the best in Indian ODI cricket history. The varied substance that the trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Shami bring to the table combine to make a fierce pace bowling unit. While reserving praise for the trio, Banerjee pointed out that Pakistani batting line-up will have trouble to face them because of their mental block.
“See basically, Bhuvneshwar is a great bowler, he always has been and Bumrah with that action, it is very hard to pick him up. The length that he is bowling and on top of that, he manages to swing the ball both ways. So it is extremely difficult for a batsman to judge, it is not that easy. So you know they all have their own qualities and that is what makes them a good banquet of fast bowlers, a good package for the entire team. Everybody is ready for challenges and they are great at their job all the time.
“They should bowl normally, nothing erratic. Babar Azam and all, even though they are good against the other teams, they are going to fail against India thanks to the pressure factor that comes with it. So I don’t think Indian fast bowlers will have any problems, they will keep them under check,” Banerjee added.
After Shikhar Dhawan suffered a left thumb fracture, it is now apparent that KL Rahul will open the innings for India at Old Trafford, and that effectively means, the team will have to slot in either Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik to bat at that position. Shankar was the first preference for the position when the team was announced but Rahul had just jumped in with a fine century in the warm-up game against Bangladesh and sent Shankar down the pecking order. However, with Dhawan out with injury and Rahul slotting in up top, Banerjee throws his weight behind the Tamil Nadu all-rounder to bat at the position against Bangladesh.
“I would say Vijay Shankar. Because see, first thing he is a good fielder, he is also a good bowler. He can bowl 4-5 overs of your seam bowling, he can swing the ball which is good for England conditions. And Shankar is a good hitter, so you are getting three things in one person. So, I would prefer Vijay Shankar.”
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