Ind vs Pak - Sachin is Key As India Eye to Repeat History

Centurion: Ravaged by injuries and unsettled by a disappointing build-up, India would seek to draw inspiration from history when they clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Champions Trophy opener here on Saturday.

Already missing star performers like opener Virender Sehwag and pacer Zaheer Khan, India were dealt another massive blow when middle-order mainstay Yuvraj Singh was forced to return home owing to a fractured right-hand finger.

Yuvraj's absence has left a gaping hole in the Indian line-up and it would be quite a challenge for the young Virat Kohli to step into the dashing left-hander's shoes.

Apart from the batting and bowling, off-field rumblings have contributed no less to the disquiet in skipper Dhoni's ranks.

India's other batting slots are also far from settled with question marks on the early rustiness of Gautam Gambhir, who was nursing a groin strain just before the tournament. He did not play in the team's lone practice match, against New Zealand, which the team lost by a humiliating 103 runs.

The slow track at Centurion is not good news for India's new-ball bowlers of whom RP Singh didn't look at his best in the warm-up game against New Zealand.

Much would be expected of them against Pakistan's quality attack, which has a lot of variety to offer.

In the fast bowling department, Mohammad Aamer's seamers are ably complemented by the swing of Navedul Hasan Rana. Umar Gul then lies in wait with his deadly reverse swings.

In spinners Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, the team has tweakers who have time and again proved their mettle.

Pakistan's batting, bolstered by the confirmation that regular skipper Younis Khan has recovered from a finger injury, too has improved by leaps and bounds.

Akmal appears to be a genuine batting star on the rise and could prove to be India's biggest headache in the match.

India have history on their side though as they have never been beaten by Pakistan in an ICC event.

Dhoni's propensity to win tosses in key matches could also be critical in the day-night match.

Centurion is the venue where India last beat Pakistan in an ICC event, the 2003 World Cup. Six years on, Pakistan is keen to avenge the loss.

They still would have to reckon with a legend called Sachin Tendulkar who has unfailingly come good in critical matches in recent times.

Team news

India: The likes of Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina have got a good opportunity to make use of Yuvraj's absence and make their mark. Ishant Sharma is busy receiving advice from his seniors while Ashish Nehra has to step up his performance by a notch or two.

Squad (likely): Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik/Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh.

Pakistan: They sruggled against the rag-tag West Indies on Wednesday but young Umar Akmal takes tons of loads off seniors Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis. Mohammad Asif, who completed his one-year ban on September 22, would get a chance in the crucial match.

Squad (likely): Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Younus Khan (capt), Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamer, Naved-ul-Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul.

Stats and trivia

• Tendulkar, with 2381 runs to his name, is 22 short of Inzamam-ul-Haq's record aggregate in India-Pakistan matches. In current teams, Dravid (1823) and Afridi (1404) are the other leading run-getters.
• Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer have never played India in an international. Neither have Virat Kohli, Amit Mishra and Abhishek Nayar played Pakistan.
• Pakistan have beaten India only once in an ICC tournament, in the 2004 Champions Trophy. India have won in the World Cups in 1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003, and also twice in the 2007 World Twenty20.
• In 14 ODIs against Pakistan, Harbhajan Singh has taken nine wickets at an average of 71.11 and a strike rate of 90.6 balls per wicket.

Match fact
Saturday, September 26, 2009 (day/night)
Start time: 14:30 local, 12:30 GMT, 18:00 IST, 17:30 PST

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