Daily Cricket News

Two nations, one aspiration - World Cup

Mohali: India and Pakistan will come to an absolute standstill when 22 men - carrying the hopes of two emotionally charged-up nations - will put themselves in the line of fire for a place in the World Cup final.

All roads will lead to the northern part of India, where the city of Mohali will host the second semifinal of the 2011 World Cup and the match-up couldn't have been more even.

While expectations soar on both sides of the border, tempers are sure to reach a crescendo and emotions set to drool over when the two teams line up for their national anthems before an epic.

The journey for the two estranged neighbours though hasn't been without a few bumps before and during the World Cup.

Bloodshed in the Pakistan heartland during Sri Lanka's tour there had devastating consequences. The ICC snatched the World Cup holding rights from Pakistan as a penalty and cricket deprivation in terror-infested Pakistan deepened.

Pakistan bit the bullet by dropping the likes of Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik coming into the mega event after surfing over tsunamic tides of match-ixing in England.

Indecisiveness over naming the captain made the PCB look inept at handling team affairs. Only a turnaround in New Zealand helped restore sanity and Shahid Afridi was handed over the reins.

Unexpectedly, Pakistan took the blows on its chin, only to turn back and land a few in the World Cup. Wins over Sri Lanka and Australia lifted the gloom in the Pakistani dressing room. But the unpredictability of Pakistan did raise its head in the close shave against Canada and a hammering at the hands of New Zealand. However, in the quarterfinal, they demolished Caribbean dreams of a revival. And now, they have an Indian mountain to climb in the semifinals.

India's build-up, though more settled, had its fair share of problems. Piyush Chawla's inclusion didn't go down well with the fans, followed by a setback in the form of Praveen Kumar's elbow injury that ruled him out and gave S Sreesanth a new lease of life.

India's ride into the semifinals was far from one associated with tournament favourites. If the tie against England after scoring 338 was a heartbreak, unable to defend 14 runs in the last over against South Africa was depressing. A win in the final league game against West Indies brought back some confidence, which got a boost after Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina held their nerves to beat Australia in the quarterfinals.

And when India's semifinal against Pakistan was confirmed, the whole nation joined a bandwagon where everyone, while getting charged up, started to cash in.

India and Pakistan are not new to the hype that their face-offs generate. However, Indian skipper MS Dhoni downplayed that and urged his teammates to concentrate on the job at hand.

"Well, we know the kind of media hype India-Pakistan matches generate. We are not getting involved in all this. We need to know what we are expected to do and focus on that.

"It is not really affecting us. We all know it is a big tournament and we have prepared a lot. Our preparations have been the same like what we have done in the past few days," said Dhoni.

Commenting on the Pakistan team, Dhoni said they have a balanced bowling attack, which is also in good form.

"They have a good bowling attack. Their seamers and spinners are doing a good job; the part-timers are also doing well. In sub-continental conditions, these players play a role. All-rounders like Abdul Razzak and (Shahid) Afridi give them the liberty to play extra bowlers," he said.

Afridi sounded pretty composed and said the pressure was squarely on India.

"There is no pressure on us and that's why we are enjoying our cricket. We weren't the favourites coming into the tournament. But we have played above expectations. India were always the favourites and certainly the pressure will be on them," said Afridi.

About whether Shoaib Akhtar will play Wednesday's semifinal, Afridi said, "Shoaib is not 100 per cent fit but he is trying his best. We will take a decision on his inclusion this evening."

The occasion will also be graced by the Prime Ministers of the two estranged neighbours, after Yusuf Raza Gilani accepted Manmohan Singh's invitation to watch the match with him.

While politics has once again found cricket as an opportunity for diplomacy, the game will take centrestage on Wednesday when a charged-up Mohali will witness an epic unfold in the middle of the PCA stadium.