India Vs Srilanka - The World Cup 2011 FinalsAuthor : Anand Kumar
Finally India beat Pakistan in the World Cup Semifinals played with Great Spirit between both teams and before the feeling sinks in, here comes the world cup 2011 final in 2 days’ time. After 14 teams battled it out for a month and half, finally India and Sri Lanka would take the honors to play in the world cup finals in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Preliminary analysis would show that this time identical teams have made it to the finals unlike 2003 and 2007 when Australia was clear cut notch ahead the other finalists. India and Sri Lanka both lost to Australia in the finals of 2003 and 2007 respectively and now they are playing each other in the final of 2011. Is there a pattern here? I will leave those to fans who love to get into such statistics.
Both Sri Lanka and India have lost one game each in this world cup so far. India tied one game with England while Sri Lanka’s game with Australia was washed out.
However it won’t be hard to establish that India would start as firm favorites for the finals. Sri Lanka’s route to the finals has been rather easier compared to the path India has traversed. India beat Australia and Pakistan in the knockout stages while Sri Lanka demolished England and New Zealand en route to the final. Looking at the comfortable victories over England and New Zealand, one can argue that Sri Lanka might be in great form. However here comes the x-factor; by battling it out against the two top teams during the knockout stages, India seems to have prepared themselves in the best possible manner for the final. Add to this the obvious fact that so far Sri Lanka’s most wins have come on their own backyard which is no surprise, but the final is going to be played in India’s backyard, which is a huge positive for India.
Once again the comparison between the two teams would show India as favorite. Sri Lanka’s top 3-4 batsmen have been in superb form but their middle order remained largely untested unfortunately because most of the work has been done by their top order so far. In comparison, India’s batting order seems to be better ready and tested, partly because they have gotten chance to slog it out and partly because they have played better teams in the knockout stages. However Sri Lanka’s bowling attack would be termed a bit better than the Indian attack but India can take some inspirations from how they bowled in the semifinals against arch rivals Pakistan. India seems to be peaking at the correct time in terms of fielding, bowling and batting as they have put a conscious effort in all these departments because despite doing reasonably well, they were tested in one or another area during the group stage games, something Lanka might have missed because of their overwhelming wins over the oppositions in group stages.
But there is another twist to the tale here. Before the semifinals, Most Indians took great pride and inspiration from the fact that India has never lost to Pakistan in the world cup match. Thankfully for them, it remained that way even after the semifinals. But did we forget that ever Since Sri Lankan team has come of age (the beginning of 90s), it is Sri Lanka that has spoiled the Indian party twice. They beat India in Kolkata in the 1996 semifinals. Remember the collapse and a crying Vinod Lambli? And who can forget how Lanka sunk a billion hopes in the 2007 edition of world cup in Caribbean? India has beaten them comfortably only in 2003 world cup so far.
So despite all the talks of India being the favorites, India can take Lanka lightly at their own risk. There is no denying the fact that Sri Lanka has been playing some consistent and wonderful cricket and it would take a real good game of cricket to beat them in the final. After all, above form and reputations, the eventual winner turns out to be the best team on that particular day. If it is Sachin’s dream to win a world cup for India, do not forget this game is also going to be a swansong for another Lankan Great, M Muralidharan. Can India continue their form in the finals as well or would Lanka spoil the party yet again? Expect a close and pressure cooker situation game in the final.
It doesn’t look like; we are going to have a cricket world cup in the subcontinent at the best before 2023. So are we witnessing something special here? A world cup final in the subcontinent being played between two subcontinent teams? The way things are changing, by the time next edition of the world cup will come to subcontinent, we can expect the nature of the game to change quite a bit from how it is now. Who knows what happens then? Make no mistake, something very special no matter who wins at the end.
AZ India is again bringing you the final on the large screen of Tempe Cinema on the Friday night. I am sure being in Arizona, you would not have wished for more, the final on a Friday night J. Please follow the link below for more details:
Anand Kumar
Player – Arizona Cricket Association