India-Pakistan set for epic rival clash in World Twenty20 opener

Mirpur Battered and bruised in the first quarter of 2014 India will aim to take fresh guard when they open their World Twenty20 campaign against traditional foes Pakistan here tomorrow in what promises to be a cracker of a contestWhile form favours Pakistan even though they were battered by South Africa in a warmup game last evening history would be on Indias side as they have never lost to their archrivals on all three meetings of the previous editions of World T20Mohammad Hafeez and MS Dhoni Pic AFPThe Pakistan national team has played more T20 Internationals than its Indian counterparts who last played an official T20 International against Australia in October last year There will be some great inner battle within the main contest Shahid Afridis pyrotechnics against Ravichandran Ashwins variations Umar Guls pace against Virat Kohlis bravado Saeed Ajmals guile against Mahendra Singh Dhonis flairBut then cricket is a fickle game and India have not had a great run this year so far Mahendra Singh Dhonis side has won only two official international matches this year having beaten Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup last month They have lost to all major teams like Pakistan Sri Lanka and New Zealand Even they lost to Sri Lanka in the first warmup game before beating England convincingly by 20 runs in the final warmup tie to somewhat redeem themselvesWhile a victory acts as a morale booster after having inculcated the habit of losing it would be a completely different ballgame when the Men In Blue take the field against Mohammed Hafeezs men It is impossible to think that Afridis lastover exploits wouldnt play on the Indian cricketers minds ahead of the game although the format is completely differentThere would be immense pressure on both sides and one can expect a full house at the ShereBangla Stadium as people are going crazy for the tickets of the match For Dhoni there are a number of issues that he needs to fret upon although yesterdays England game was an indication as to what kind of lineup he is planning to field tomorrowThere are still some concerns with both batting and bowling Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawans performance in shorter versions hasnt been good enough but the skipper is not known to tinker too much with his side Also the fact that Ajinkya Rahane who can be an option as an opener having done the job for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL is also not inspiring confidence of the highest orderWhile critics have panned Dhoni for not being flexible with his team selection he did try something Out of the Box during the last edition in Sri Lanka where Irfan Pathan came in as an opener His runaball 31 was one of the primary reasons that India lost to Australia and were subsequently knocked out of the tournament Dhoni has never really experimented big time after thatA good start is always crucial as it helps to seize the initiative early on in the match Both Rohit and Dhawan would be aware that a couple of defeats could mean end of the road for India in this edition The relief for the skipper would be his mainstay Virat Kohlis form The teams No 1 batsman looked in great touch against England as he smashed an unbeaten 73 off only 47 ballsDhonis trusted lieutenant Suresh Raina is also showing signs of getting back his touch which had deserted him for the better part of the last season A 30odd against Sri Lanka and a 31ball54 against England in two practice games would certain do his confidence a world of good Yuvraj Singhs scratchy form continued as he looked good against the Sri Lankan spinners during the first warmup game while he played a poor shot in the next gameHowever with four manofthematch awards in Indias last five official T20 Internationals Yuvraj is a force to reckon with in this format as he can take the game at any point of time Dhoni himself is coming back from injury but he looked in good touch during his 14ball21 against EnglandThe skippers form will be crucial to Indias future in the tournament The bowling is a worrying factor for the Indian team Ravichandran Ashwins form in the runup to the tournament has been good with economical spells against both Sri Lanka and EnglandRavindra Jadeja also had a decent outing with the ball against England His terrific fielding and improved batting at No 8 makes him an automatic choice But Amit Mishra hasnt done too well in the practice games and with Yuvraj Raina Rohit in the team there is a doubt whether a third specialist spinner would fit into the scheme of things But it will be a choice between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron as Mohammed Shami is a certainty in the playing XI unless he has a niggleBhuvneshwars pace has been like cannon fodder for the batsmen and has been easy pickings for batsmen of all teams Aarons pace is impressive but he has very little variations which can be a worry for captain during the death overs Pakistan were allout for 71 in their last warmup game against South Africa but that had more to do with trying to test the batsmen by changing the orderWhile Ahmed Shehzad skipper Hafeez and the Akmal brothers Kamran and Umar will be itching to have a go at India the two fear factors for Dhonis men will be none other than Afridi and AjmalAjmals four overs with the kind of variations he possesses can create a lot of trouble for Indian batsmen Afridi on the other hand can change the complexion of the game with both bat and ballIn Umar Gul and Sohail Tanveer they have a more than capable rightleft bowling combination who are never easy to get away In all brace up for what is going to be a riveting Friday blockbuster