India calm, Pakistan excited for ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final
Sunday will be a unique day in the sports history of India and Pakistan. While the cricket teams will battle in the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy at The Oval, the arch-rivals will also clash at the Olympic Park in a match of the FIH World Hockey League semi-finals.
But both cricket and hockey will be in their respective realms as focus and composure will be the key factors on Sunday as Pakistan eye their maiden Champions Trophy win and India their third.
This year’s Champions Trophy has seen several twists and turns. Three Asian teams making the last four of the tournament that brings the best eight ODI teams in the world is a huge statement of the sub-continent’s domination.
If defending champions India were one of the fancied sides, Pakistan’s amazing turnaround in the tournament has been an eye-opener. This is the first time India and Pakistan will clash in the Champions Trophy final, and in the circumstances, there will be no favourites.
Pakistan, who have never been in the final of a Champions Trophy, came in as the lowest ranked side. No one gave them a chance after India walloped them by 124 runs in their opening group B fixture in Birmingham on June 4.
South Africa, the world’s No. 1 ODI team, former champions Australia and dark horses New Zealand failed to cross the group stage. Pakistan stunned favourites England by eight wickets in the semi-final at Cardiff and India blew away Bangladesh by nine wickets at Edgbaston to set up a dream final that is sending the ICC and the host broadcasters laughing all the way to the bank.
Intense India
After being on the road to London from Birmingham on Friday, India were back at the nets on Saturday morning. Under a blazing sun, Virat Kohli’s men spent an intense three hours breaking sweat. A lot of that training was dominated by fitness drills.
Football plays a big role in training these days. In David Beckham’s country, the likes of Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya were practising set-pieces – banana kicks and putting the ball between two wickets (read goalposts).
The set-pieces will be significant in terms of the match on Sunday. Irrespective of the teams, both batsmen and bowlers will have to eschew flamboyance and build a pace that will be ensuring solidity throughout the 100 overs.
Pakistan’s bowlers, particularly left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir is fit to play the Champions Trophy final. He is perfectly capable of the banana swing, although the white ball hasn’t swung much in UK.
But the reverse swing and cutters will come into play and Hasan Ali, Pakistan’s ‘bombshell’ seamer, will be the man that India’s top order needs to play well.
India are unlikely to change the playing XI that hammered South Africa and Bangladesh in back-to-back matches. With a taped right knee, there is slight doubt on Ravichandran Ashwin’s full fitness but India will need him against a team that has specialist left-handed batsmen. If Ashwin misses the final, pacer Umesh Yadav should be back.
