Imran Khan once said, "Cricket is a pressure game and when it comes to India vs Pakistan, that pressure is doubled." When an uber cool personality like the former Pakistan captain says this, one can understand the magnitude of this clash. Tomorrow is the day which will give the world another game of this cricketing battle between India-Pakistan which was and will always be more than just cricket to the people of both these countries.
India and Pakistan are the two finalists of the ICC Champions Trophy as an 18-day fast paced tournament comes to an end tomorrow at the Oval. The road to the final has been very different for both the finalists. India, on one hand, played according to their tag as the strongest team in the competition and have bulldozed their way into yet another ICC event final. Pakistan, on the other hand, had to toil hard and barring their semifinal win against England, Sarfraz Ahmed and his men had to put themselves on the line in every game.
India's batting has looked the most confident of all the teams in this competition whereas the same can be said for Pakistan's bowling. It will be a nail-biting contest with the Indian bowling and the Pakistani batting also proving their worth in the semis.
The head to head record in the Champions Trophy stands at 2-2 right now with one thing certain that it will not be a cakewalk for India as many have predicted. To delve into the pre-match stuff more analytically and taking a closer look at both these teams, let us look at the five players that can have the X-factor going into tomorrow's final showdown:
#5 Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav has been playing regularly in the Indian team since a year now and has flourished in a finisher's role. Jadhav displayed just that in India's second match against Sri Lanka where he scored a quickfire 25 not out from 13 balls. His knock, which included three fours and six on the leg side, helped India cross 320.
In the semifinal, India were in need of a wicket in the middle overs as Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were going strong. Jadhav was brought into the attack with his off-breaks as an out of the box strategy by captain Kohli.
The Pune-born all-rounder did wonders as he dismissed both the set batsmen in a matter of two overs and changed the complexion of the match. Jadhav has this quality to chip in with important contributions with bat/ball which makes him a worthy candidate to be included on this list.
#4 Shadab Khan
The 18-year old leg spinner is a highly rated player in his country and has promptly shown what he can do since making his debut in March. Though he has not been among the wickets this Champions Trophy, his spell against England was a crucial one which reflected his control and guile.
Khan was used to keep the run rate in check and he could also get the overs out of the way pretty quickly. He did that with perfection and conceded just four runs per over against England.
Shadab also took the all important of Joe Root which started a humiliating collapse for the hosts. The leggie is a wily customer that can put brakes on the opposite team's scoring rate and also has a deceiving wrong one. Mentored by Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed, Shadab can prove to be a deadly weapon against India.
#3 Hardik Pandya
Just as Kedar Jadhav helped India finish strongly against the Lankans, it was Hardik Pandya who did that against Pakistan. He hit three sixes on a trot against Imad Wasim in the last over of the innings to help India reach 319. The all-rounder has carried his IPL form into the tournament hangover which has proved to be highly useful for his country.
Though he has struggled with the ball so far, Pandya thrives on the big occasions and has the trust of the captain. His variations with the ball along with his power hitting at the end can help India defend their crown. In ODIs, a lot depend on a team's fifth bowler and India luckily have a talented man at their disposal.
#2 Imad Wasim
Pakistan have had a set bowling plan so far in the tournament and Imad Wasim has played a huge role in that. The left-arm spinner has been brought in the first bowling change by the Greens in the recent matches where his quick skidding off the deck deliveries have been difficult to fend off for the batsmen. He usually comes into bowl during the first powerplay itself and mixes it up beautifully.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2017: 5 reasons why Pakistan can beat India in the final
His impact against South Africa put them in a match-winning position as the leg-spinner took the all important wickets of Hashim Amla and AB De Villiers. Though he went wicketless against Sri Lanka and England, Wasim has bowled with accuracy and deception which is evident by his average economy of 3.5 in the three matches.
Wasim will have to play a huge role in containing the runs against India if Pakistan are to stop the formidable Indian batting order.
#1 Yuvraj Singh
X factor means to have a special talent or a significant impact. Which current Indian player epitomises that more than Yuvraj Singh? The southpaw oozes class whenever he bats and has done that on two occasions in this tournament. Against Pakistan, Yuvi scored a 32-ball 53 which also helped him earn the man of the match award.
He made sure India crossed the finishing line against South Africa without much fuss and ended the game with a trademark six. India have batted exceedingly well in the Champions Trophy as their top three batsmen look in supreme touch. But against a strong Pakistani bowling unit, India's middle order might come into play and Yuvraj will be at the forefront of it.
He might have to help finish the innings on the front foot or stabilise the innings in case of early wickets. In any way, just as in the past, Yuvraj Singh was and still is India's X factor.
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