The match of the cup

The dessert has arrived before the main course. An Indo-Pak final which is the coup de grace in any tournament such as the world cup of cricket, will be delivered before the end. So be it.

I for one am not as excited about and Indo-Pak clash, say as I was ten years ago. I do not even know the Pak team by heart. Those that I know are well past their prime. OK, they defeated a lacklustre Australia. Defeating Australia is not a big deal these days anyway. Pakistan can not win against India. But India can lose! To safeguard against such an eventuality, India should go in with 8 batsmen. The team should be: Sehwag*, Sachin*, Gautam, Virat*, Yuvraj*, Dhoni, Raina*, Yusuf*, Harbhajan*, Ashwin* (was an opening bat once) and Zahir*. Players marked * can also bowl.

It does not matter who bowls to the Pak batmen they will score the same number of runs as previously determined by a special complex formula involving many variables. So, the Indian team has been selected purely on batting prowess. The Pakistanis bowl well and some time can surprise you with peculiar behaviours of the ball. In an uncontrolled attack the hurtlers do not themselves know how the ball will behave once it leaves their hand! Packing extra batters will help.

No tactics, no stratagems, no preparations – just pick the right team and get on the filed. Pakistan can’t win – India should make sure, they don’t lose.