5 reasons why Pakistan can't crack the India code

Pakistan just cant seem to cope with pressure. They are undoubtedly one of the world's best cricketing nations, but can't seem to find their feet when it comes to world level competitons. They continued their string of losses to India in world cups with their recent loss to their arch-rivals in the World T20 world cup. Here's a list of 5 major areas where Pakistan can improve.

#1 The opening batting

The Pakistanis keep juggling around with their opening pair. This has a huge impact on the consistency of opening stands. Often, there is a top order batting failure, and it's individual efforts from the middle order that propel them to decent scores. They keep shifting between Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal. These constant shifts hamper the understanding between these batsmen, which often leads to poor running between the wickets.

#2 Poor shot selection

There has always been a special flair in the Pakistani batsmen. But in recent times, this flair seems to have vanished. Poor shot selction has plagued the Pakistani batting line up. They seem more intent on giving away their wickets cheaply. Misbah-ul-Haq often ends up saying "poor shot selection cost us the game". These batsmen need to spend more time at the crease. They have the ability to up the ante at any point of time. However, they need to assess the situation that they find themselves in, and play accordingly.

#3 Over dependence on Ajmal

Pakistan have one of the world's most formidable bowling attacks. Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Hafeez can bowl the opposition out of a game on their day. However, they end up being inconsistent with the ball. Only Saeed Ajmal bowls well, day in and day out. The Pakistani's end up putting too much weight on his shoulders, they always turn to him when they need a wicket or need to control the flow of runs. There is no doubting his ability, he is an exceptional, world-class spinner. But, he is also human and may succumb to pressure. If that happens, the Pakistani bowling attack is bound to crumble.

#4 The absence of a calming influence

The Pakistani team is full of young, inexperienced players barring a few such as Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and so forth. There is an absence of a calming influence during pressure situations. Most of the players arent able to keep their wits about them, and end up losing the plot. Bowlers stop bowling according to plan, the fielding becomes sloppy and batsmen often give up their wickets cheaply. The presence of a calm, cool and composed leader is missing. Occassionally, Misbah steps up to perform this role. However, he doesn't have the effect on the young players which other leaders like MS Dhoni have. This is a skill he is yet to acquire.

#5 Lack of athletic fielders in the circle

Singles play a crucial role in any format of the game. Rotating the strike is a very important as it eases the pressure and allows the batsmen to concentrate on their game. The bowling side on the other hand, would like to stop the singles and ensure that pressure builds up and the batsman goes for the big shots. This produces many chances for wickets. Pakistan have been conceding too many singles in all their games. The fielders inside the 30 yard circle are pretty sluggish. Barring Umar Akmal, the batsmen are prepared to take on any other Pakistani fielder in the inner ring. The groundfielding of the Pakistanis has a huge scope for improvement, particularly for the fielders who stand inside the cricle.