India vs Pakistan: three things that could decide the match

As India gear up to take on Pakistan at Mohali for the all important cricket World Cup semi-final clash, we take look at things both off and on field which could decide the result.

Handling pressure: It’s not everyday that India take on Pakistan in the semi-final of a World Cup. So it seems everyone in India has gone haywire.

Politicians and business tycoons are flying in from everywhere to watch this high voltage drama. Media is also adding extra pressure on the players as the expectation of the fans have sky rocketed.

Indian players are being advised to avoid newspapers and TV ahead of the match by their respective team management. Amid all this it will be interesting to see how all this does or doesn’t impact the performances of the players on the field.

Winning the toss: The toss will be a crucial factor in this high pressure encounter. Both the captains would ideally want to win the toss and bat.

The Mohali pitch has a history of assisting the faster bowler more so in the second inning under the lights. So both the teams would want to put decent a score on the board and then try to defend.

Fielding: India and Pakistan are not traditionally great fielding units, but both the teams have been doing pretty well in the field so far in the tournament.

Shahid Afridi’s men can be erratic on the field as we witnessed in their round robin clash against New Zealand. On the other hand, the men in blue are more consistent fielding unit with some exceptional fielders in their ranks.

However it pans out, it’ll be a cracking match to watch.