ICC World Cup 2023: Indians look to Pak another punch

India players celebrate after dismissing Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan in New Delhi on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images

The World Cup fever is palpable in the city that boasts the largest cricket stadium in the World Cup. From the time one touches down at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, the buzz is evident, and it has everything to do with the fact that the Narendra Modi Stadium will on Saturday stage the India-Pakistan contest, the final before the actual final at any World Cup over the last two decades and more.

No bilateral ties since 2013

There is an added sense of anticipation these days because beyond continental and global events, the teams don't face each other. Their last bilateral showdown was in India in January 2013; since then, their clashes have been restricted to the Asia Cup and the World Cup. Against that backdrop, it's hardly surprising that tickets have sold like hot cakes, that hotels are running to capacity despite prices jacked up to 10 times their original rates, and even hospitals are doubling up as hotels with the enterprising choosing the medical route to guarantee accommodation.

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Inasmuch as this is a stirring rivalry, there is a decided one-sidedness to their skirmishes in the 50-over World Cup. From the time the teams first met, in Sydney in 1992, it has been India all the way. India hold a commanding 7-0 advantage against their opponents from across the border, always finding the fortitude and the resilience, not to mention composure, to approach this game as just any other encounter even if a lot more hinges on the outcome.

Superstar Sachin

It's no surprise that Sachin Tendulkar played a lead role in three of India's first five World Cup wins over Pakistan, winning the Player of the Match awards in Sydney, in Centurion (2003) and in the semi-final in Mohali in 2011. His 98 in Centurion has gone into folklore, much like Gundappa Vishwanath's unbeaten 97 against Andy Roberts and company in the Chennai Test of 1975. His sensational assault on Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar is still spoken of with awe by those privileged enough to witness it. Virat Kohli starred in the 2015 triumph in Adelaide and Rohit Sharma four years later in Manchester. Who will India's hero be this time? Or will Pakistan unearth one of their own to arrest this embarrassing losing streak?

Only last month, the sides faced off twice in the Asia Cup, when the league clash in Pallekele was washed out and India lorded the Super Four fixture by pulling off a record 228-run victory. The force, therefore, would seem to be with India, but Pakistan won't just roll over. They will feel it's time they took at least the first step towards redressing the World Cup imbalance, though whether they will be allowed to do so by Rohit and his men is another matter altogether.