Expectations are at an all-time high for the epic Champions Trophy final showdown between rivals India and Pakistan. Many experts believe that staying calm in this high voltage clash will be paramount in crossing the finish line. Another legend of the game and Mr Cricket, Mike Hussey has picked tomorrow’s winner. Read on!
Mr Cricket speaks
Since his playing days, Michael Hussey has gained respect amongst the cricketing fraternity. Owing to his cricketing acumen, superb work ethic and scintillating on field performances, he has turned into a legend. Further staying true to his epithet of Mr Cricket, he is now a part of the commentary team for the Champions Trophy.
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Much like everyone else, he has picked his choice for tomorrow’s highly anticipated clash too. Mr Cricket has favored India to successfully defend their title. However, he does not rule out the possibility of an upset altogether. He believes that on their day, Pakistan can beat any team in the world, as evident from the last three matches.
ICC event history favors India
India has prevailed over their subcontinent rivals 13 times in the total 15 matches contested. However, the teams are locked at two apiece when it comes to Champions Trophy. The last two contests were won by India comprehensively.
Michael Hussey threw light on the same,“Although the two sides are locked at two-all on a head to head in the ICC Champions Trophy, I am sure Pakistan will get additional inspiration and motivation from its past successes in this event and will aim to extend its run come Sunday,”
He also added, “Pakistan doesn’t have an impressive record against India in ICC events. That said, the ICC Champions Trophy is the only event where it has defeated India, not once but twice – in 2004 at Southampton and in 2009 at Centurion.”
Calmer nerves to prevail
Mr Cricket also believed that Pakistan’s best chance would be to expose the largely untested Indian middle order early. This would increase their chances to dictate the game from the very start.
He also emphasized on the importance of maintaining one’s calm during tomorrow’s match. He wants the Indian team to focus on the task at hand and not get swayed away by external pressures.
“One of the keys to winning big games is each player being able to disregard all the outside distractions and focus on his role in the team. There will be many distractions when India lines up against Pakistan in the final, with a manic crowd likely to be out of control on match day as the hype for this match will be huge,” he concluded.
