Pressure. Occasion. Nerves. Excitement. Emotion. Distraction. On Saturday, Virat Kohli might well have thought he had wandered into a sports psychology press conference rather than one on the eve of a cricket match against Pakistan. India’s captain was asked so many questions that were variations on the one theme that he eventually had to concede that he was going to be repeating himself.
From a purely cricketing perspective, what emerged on the eve of the Champions Trophy final was that India were not even remotely thinking of bringing a specialist fast bowler, such as Mohammad Shami, in place of Hardik Pandya, who has been targeted by opposition batsmen in almost all games.
“I’m not looking to change too many things. I would back a guy like Hardik who provides you so much balance in conditions that he can be effective as a bowler, and his batting is priceless. If you’re chasing a total and you need eight an over and you’ve lost wickets, he’s a guy who can still win you the game. That’s the kind of belief he has in his ability and we have that belief in him,” explained Kohli.
“He can give you a match-winning performance in any game that he plays, and he’s a gun fielder, as well. It’s very hard to find a package like that. You need to back guys like him on a regular basis, and you will get those results where the team is in crisis and he stands up and gives a match-winning performance. When he bowls well, it’s a total relief for me as a captain because he can get you seven good overs. Yeah, I would not think of changing anything at this particular stage.”
Pakistan, for their part, will definitely be making one change. Mohammad Amir, who sat out the semifinal against England with back spasms, has recovered sufficiently and will possibly be the first name pencilled onto the team sheet. Amir has not had the kind of returns you would expect from a player of his quality, but in England, with the threat of swing always looming large, he could be a force in the final. Rumman Raees, who stood in ably for Amir, is the candidate most likely to be left out.
Pakistan’s greatest challenge will be the fact that they have played most of their matches in this tournament on used pitches. This has worked perfectly for a team that is long on bowling stocks but not quite a powerhouse with the bat. Pakistan’s ideal scenario is a low-scoring game in which scrapping to a target is possible.
For India, the Oval, with its true pitch and fast outfield is about as good as it gets. While there is some rain forecast for Sunday — and it is worth remembering that this is likely to change several times before the first ball is bowled — temperatures are expected to stay close to the 30-degree centigrade mark. While both teams will likely look to chase, the toss should not be a major factor unless rain disrupts the second half in extreme fashion.
It was only half in jest that Kohli said the most important thing for him as captain, and this was applicable in a wider sense to the team as well, was to look inwards rather than out. “The biggest thing is to stay off social media. Honestly, it sounds funny, but it’s so important to stay away from those things, to connect to things that matter, the things that a sportsman needs to take care of. You know, connecting to yourselves within, taking a bit more time to do stuff which you don’t normally get to do and stay away from everything,” said Kohli.
“It’s tough, but you have to make that sort of effort to stay in a good zone and a good mindset, to be happy playing second fiddle in a big tournament like this, to be thinking about bouncing back after a setback. I’ve learned how to handle certain things. And that can only happen when you’re able to connect with yourself first. If you’re too distracted listening to too many suggestions or players or criticism, then you can’t focus on what you need to think as a sportsman first to be able to lead the team and then help the others in the team, as well. Yeah, that’s probably been the biggest learning. To be able to maintain that balance nicely has been a good thing for me.”
Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach, said his teams had taken lessons from the loss to India earlier in the tournament, and were primed to show that their cricket was moving in the right direction. “We finished our preparation today with a good chat just before we came down to the ground. The guys are under no illusion as to what the expectation is on them, but they’re genuinely excited,” said Arthur. “I said before the Edgbaston game, I thought they were really, really calm, but they’re very, very excited now, and there’s a hell of a good vibe in that dressing room. Let’s hope we can put our “A” game again tomorrow, because if we can, and I said it before the England game, if we put our “A” game together and do the basics well, we can beat anybody.”
Pakistan certainly can do that, but, as Kohli put it, India were going to be neither arrogant nor intimidated, going into the final. That in itself, should be a scary through for any opposition.
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