MOHALI: In any battle, a good general aims at the rival's weak spot and tries to make the first dent there. It's obvious that for India, that weak spot is Pakistan's batting and MS Dhoni would be keen to cause early damage there come Wednesday.
Cricket is a funny game and Pakistani batting may come good in the semifinal, but what must still enthuse India is the lack of experience and proven class in the Pakistani batting line-up. If the going gets tough and the pressure rises, you need experience and class to wade through troubled waters, and Pakistan do not have a batsman who has consistently got big scores on the international stage over a good period of time although, like any top international side, they have the talent.
Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez are doing well as makeshift openers but they give the opposition hopes of an early breakthrough. Asad Shafiq is only 15 ODIs old and has to prove himself at this level. Misbah-ul-Haq's career got stuck in a quagmire after a late blossoming. He has managed to make some healthy contributions in this World Cup but still has not looked commanding.
Umar Akmal is an exciting strokeplayer but tends to let exuberance get the better of him. It's not rare to see him throw a good start away by attempting a low-percentage shot. Pakistan's batting problems have been compounded by skipper Shahid Afridi's consistent failures because he has been such a destroyer of attacks.
The pitch readings have suggested that the Mohali track would favour batsmen more than the bowlers and a 270-280 score would be par for course. If that is the case then Pakistan may need more than the 40s and the 50s the batters have been coming up with. Of course, a team can win the World Cup without a single century against its name, but big knocks do help, especially if a side is batting first and trying to set a big target. A big hundred can lead the team to a total of 300 and beyond which in a pressure game becomes too much for the opposition.
The flip side is that it's the team that wins or loses and not individuals. If three or four batsmen come up with good knocks, it can easily suffice. Yet, big knocks and hefty partnerships have great value in ODIs.
Cricket is a funny game and Pakistani batting may come good in the semifinal, but what must still enthuse India is the lack of experience and proven class in the Pakistani batting line-up. If the going gets tough and the pressure rises, you need experience and class to wade through troubled waters, and Pakistan do not have a batsman who has consistently got big scores on the international stage over a good period of time although, like any top international side, they have the talent.
Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez are doing well as makeshift openers but they give the opposition hopes of an early breakthrough. Asad Shafiq is only 15 ODIs old and has to prove himself at this level. Misbah-ul-Haq's career got stuck in a quagmire after a late blossoming. He has managed to make some healthy contributions in this World Cup but still has not looked commanding.
Umar Akmal is an exciting strokeplayer but tends to let exuberance get the better of him. It's not rare to see him throw a good start away by attempting a low-percentage shot. Pakistan's batting problems have been compounded by skipper Shahid Afridi's consistent failures because he has been such a destroyer of attacks.
The pitch readings have suggested that the Mohali track would favour batsmen more than the bowlers and a 270-280 score would be par for course. If that is the case then Pakistan may need more than the 40s and the 50s the batters have been coming up with. Of course, a team can win the World Cup without a single century against its name, but big knocks do help, especially if a side is batting first and trying to set a big target. A big hundred can lead the team to a total of 300 and beyond which in a pressure game becomes too much for the opposition.
The flip side is that it's the team that wins or loses and not individuals. If three or four batsmen come up with good knocks, it can easily suffice. Yet, big knocks and hefty partnerships have great value in ODIs.
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