This is India-Pakistan served with a slice of Americana. Should be fun.
In a country that’s about as dangerous as it is beautiful, a rivalry with identical characteristics will play out on Sunday.
India take on Pakistan at the Nassau County Intentional stadium, and this contest will feel relegated in significance after the latter’s recent loss to the United States. Still, these ancient rivals don’t rest on past performances to take it easy on the day it matters.
While their rivalry has become more of a formality after India’s sustained success over their neighbours across formats in the last decade, the hype itself has not died out yet, and it possibly never will.
Besides the game’s promoters forcing emotions down the throats of consumers with their chintzy ad campaigns, people continue to live in nostalgia, recalling moments from when an India-Pakisan contest held more chips.
This, however, is a tad different because this part of America hasn’t had the chance to sit in the palpable tension that is a typical Indo-Pak contest. These teams have played in North America – the continent – way back in 1997 when they had the ‘Friendship’ Cup in Toronto, but this is America proper, and the locals are storming in.
Though promoted as ‘Super Bowl on steroids’, it’s not likely that this game will go down as a classic.
Given the nature of the four drop-in pitches at the venue, no matter which one the curator picks for the day, it will play unevenly and move a whole bunch in the air.
Historically, that would give Pakistan the edge for their pace acumen, but India’s no slouch in that department anymore. If anything, one could go so far as saying India’s bowling is far more stringent in the format.
Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/the-big-battle-at-the-big-apple-3058487