Again, it’s India’s batting vs Pak bowling

Rohit Mahajan

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Tribune News Service

London, June 17

In this, only the second final between India and Pakistan, the spotlight has, unsurprisingly, turned on India’s batting and Pakistan’s bowling. The wickets have been flat, the ball has not swung even in cloudy conditions — this is ascribed primarily to the characteristics of the brand of ball being used in this tournament. On flatter tracks, the bounce has been true, and it’s been possible to drive the ball through its line. India’s batsmen haven’t had to bother with the swing — that’s the reason they’ve ruled. 

There are three Indian batsmen in the top five in the list of the top run-scorers — Shikhar Dhawan at top with 317, his opening partner Rohit Sharma second with 304, and Kohli is fifth with 253. Most of the work has been done by these three, and Yuvraj Singh (83 runs in three innings) and MS Dhoni (63 in one innings). Does this leave the Indian middle and lower order a bit low on match practice — and, consequently, vulnerable — against a fine Pakistani bowling attack? We’ll know tomorrow.

Pak bowling

There are two Pakistani bowlers among the top five wicket-takers in the tournament — Hasan Ali with 10 from four games, and Junaid Khan with seven from three. Mohammad Amir, probably the most talented of the lot, bowled a few fine opening overs but hasn’t done much after that.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood said that Pakistan were able to get the ball to reverse on a few occasions due to less grass on the square around the pitch in Birmingham and Cardiff. “Against South Africa, at Edgbaston, we played on an old pitch which was being used for the third match,” Mahmood said. “We were originally meant to play on a new pitch, but since it had rained heavily, they played on the used pitch. So those conditions suited us as the square was rough. In Cardiff, too, the practice pitches had no grass, so the ball got scuffed up easily.”

The forecast for tomorrow is sunny and cloudy through the day. The pitch here is grassless and dry, and the outfield is lush green. Due to this, the Pakistani pacers might not have a scuffed ball to bowl with, and India’s batting strength should make them the favourites tomorrow. India enjoy a 13-2 record against Pakistan in global events — it would be a huge surprise if Pakistan can make it 3-13. 

Bear in mind that Pakistanis are the most surprising bunch of cricketers. They've shown that already in this tournament.

Number game

• 91.5 India’s batting average in the 2017 Champions Trophy, the best among all teams.  
• 874 Runs by India's top three batsmen (S Dhawan 317, R Sharma 304, V Kohli 253) is the highest tally by the top three of any team in this tournament. England (483) is the next highest, while Pakistan's aggregate is 406.
• 31 Number of wickets Pakistan have picked in the tournament so far, the most by any team. Their average of 31.77 is second after Australia; the economy rate of 4.99 is second to South Africa.