India's Victory Over Pakistan in Champions Trophy Showdown: No Surprise, But Failure Would Be a Major Upset

The rivalry between India and Pakistan started off quietly in Sydney in 1992, gained momentum in Bengaluru in 1996, and reached epic proportions as the matches moved from Manchester to Centurion, from Mohali to Adelaide, and back to Manchester before landing in Ahmedabad. While India has dominated the 50-over World Cup meetings with an 8-0 scoreline in their favor, the rivalry between the two nations extends beyond just World Cup matches.

There was a time in the 1980s and 1990s when Indian fans dreaded the prospect of playing Pakistan outside World Cups, and especially in Sharjah. Pakistan were a veritable powerhouse – Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed, sometimes many of them in the same XI – and even though India were no slouches, Pakistan invariably seemed to have an answer to every question.

It's hard to say when the balance of power shifted – and it has, let’s not mince words. Today, an Indian defeat to Pakistan in a One-Day International is a surprise. Some might say an upset, a shock, a one-off. What was once a battle of equals isn’t that anymore. Not really, never mind the hype and the hoopla and the tingling sense of anticipation that characterises the build-up to any contest between the two fierce rivals.

Pakistan aren’t an also-ran. They never have been, and they never will be. Lest it should be forgotten, they are defending the Champions Trophy they won in 2017 – at India’s expense, no less – and are currently ranked No. 3 in ODIs. They boast one of the premier batters of his generation in Babar Azam, and their pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf is as feared and skilled as any in world cricket. Yet, the sum of the parts hasn’t added up to an entire intimidating whole for a while now.

Perhaps some of it has to do with the lack of a strong leadership hand at the wheel. Pakistan have historically had inspirational, mercurial figures at the helm, starting with Imran, but while they haven’t seemed bereft of direction, they haven’t always pulled in the same direction. Contrast that with India who, in the last 17 and a half years, have had only three full-term limited-overs captains – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – and it’s not hard to see why this has unravelled into decidedly one-way traffic.

One of the reasons for India being able to dictate terms in recent exchanges, especially, is their ability to set emotion aside and not get caught up in the cesspool of sentiment and passion that can cut both ways. That, and the fact that the newer generations of players don’t carry the baggage that afflicted Indian teams of the past. New-age India is confident without being cocky, self-assured without segueing into arrogant and complacent. There is a fearlessness and belief that has worked wonders, there is a sense that if they turn up and play to their full potential or anywhere close to it, they can defeat any side in the world, no matter what name they answer to.

It has helped, too, that the new Indian fan isn’t as unforgiving as a fan of a different vintage to whom victory against Pakistan was non-negotiable. It’s impossible to perform at one’s best when one knows that being on the wrong side of the result can result in stones being pelted at one’s home, effigies being burnt, and worse. To sit in the cozy confines of one’s living room and exhort players to insulate themselves from such thoughts is naïve. Thankfully, the Indian cricket follower of today is a lot more mature and understanding, perhaps treating the sport for what it is which has further encouraged the Indian cricketer of today to perform without the nagging fear of failure.

Pakistan still lead the overall ODI head-to-heads 73-57 in 135 matches, but since the beginning of 2010, India have won 12 and lost just four of 17 faceoffs. Two of those defeats came in India, in Chennai and Kolkata in 2012-13, the last time the teams played against each other in a bilateral setting. For all the history attached to India vs Pakistan, this is no longer the gripping, pulsating, nerve-wracking showdown it once used to be, and both sets of rival fans seem to understand this, too.

of this means an Indian victory at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday is a given or set in stone. It’s just that if both teams play at their best, winner-picking shouldn’t be all that difficult.

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