We lost to India but why and how?

India did play much better than us and hence they rightly deserved to defeat us which we including myself did not like it but nevertheless we must dig deep to find out where we lacked or where did our foes excelled over us.

To me our batsmen are the blamed more than bowlers which I will prove eventually. Just compare run rate scoring of our batsmen with India and then you too will be convinced like me that had our batsmen played faster than we would have given real tough time to Indians to chase and win but we utterly failed in our such like efforts. Our batsmen hit 28 boundaries and 2 sixes while Indians hit 33 boundaries and 5 sixes itself proves where we stand. When someone hits a boundary or a six then not only run are is accelerated but the opponents also come under severe pressure because they feel the pinch if not the same. No denying the hard fact that any batsman including the one who bats for the very first time in his life will score singles but not many will be able to score boundaries and six unless and until one is a batsman in the truest sense of the word. However, we like it or not, the fact remains that Indians have very truly excelled over us on both such counts.

At least I am not just stunned rather very much stunned duly punctuated with some shame if not you when we compare tumbling of wickets of both the teams. Our 1st wicket had fallen when our score was as much as 224 whereas for India it was nothing but just zero when they lost their one of the opening batsman. What does this prove? We were in very much commanding position because many times even full team of 11 players could not score as much what our two openers had scored so we should have very rightly and judiciously capitalized it to our maximum advantage.  We should have played more aggressively and speedily to build up somewhat 360 if not 375 but we utterly failed or more correctly we never even attempted to hit that figure. Our batsmen utterly lack in facing the odds whereas Indians have proved to be just on the other side of the fence so far as facing pressure is concerned. Indians who were to chase 330 to win the game lost their opener Gautham Gambhi, a certified run making machine, at the time when not even 1 run was scored meaning by that perhaps it was the most baffling time for India in its whole history of cricket to have faced such a tough awkward situation but yet it very rightly overhauled the situation which not only amazed Indians but others too alike.  Unbelievably they did what not many could do in a situation like this and I have my doubts and you prove if I am wrong that had we been in their place it was almost next to impossible for our batsmen to withstand the highly mounted pressure and score with 1 down at zero as Indians could do. They neither felt afraid nor timid and on the contra they faced the brunt with full zeal and zest tinged with resolute determination to take charge of the situation and mould it to their advantage and this is what they have proved at the end of the day. We had been demoralized instead.

How could we lose 2^nd wicket at 225, just after 1 run, as the Ist had gone down at 224? Did the openers mutually agree to be together all the time either in field or in pavilion? They played together as openers from zero to 224 and once Nasir Jamshed was out, Mohammad Hafeez who opened the innings with Nasir followed him at the score of 225 so they were apart for around 5 minutes only as both were back to pavilion almost the same time. Ordinarily it does not happen alike rather on the contra the other batsman tries to consolidate his position do his utmost best to score as much as possible in order to cover up the loss of his playing partner but in our this case it is very much apparent that one opener follows the other opener instead. It is really very much mind boggling to notice that Indians’2^nd wicket had fallen at 133 when the score was not big if compared to Pakistan but yet it trounced us. I simply cannot be immoral not to mention that Indians’ second wicket was of nine but Sachin Tendular who is not the king but emperor in cricket batting and whether we like it or not he is unparallel so far as all type of batting and not just one day is concerned. He has scored 100 centuries which none could boast of from day one till today and perhaps none will be able to reach that landmark at least in this century. He is the main lethal weapon of India in batting who did struggle a bit during last some months but has regained his momentum in the incumbent Asia Cup so his departure who had scored 52 runs after facing 48 balls must had been too shocking for India but yet it very successfully surmounted and came off as a winning team.  It is quite but natural that as and when a legend like him goes off the field the remaining team instantly comes under and it needs special guts to prevail upon in the rest of the game. Hats off for Indians who were not at all awed with his departure and rather instead it infused new fighting spirit in them to fight it out more bluntly and convincingly and this is what has been proved by them.

As regards falling of 3^rd wicket is concerned our score was 273 whereas and for them it was 305 meaning by that our batsmen could play without any further damage from 225 to 273 which is 68 runs gap in between the fall of 2^nd and 3^rd wicket but for Indians they lost their 3rd wicket at 305 in other words their batsmen scored 172 in between the fall of second and third wicket so how do we equate ourselves with them and how we had thought to defeat them yesterday is an unanswered question? This is very much amazing indeed that our people were very much proudly boasting that Pakistan bowling is much better than batting. We did say that our bowlers are the best in the world so they will not allow Indian batsmen to score as much as we have scored. Alas! We never thought even for a second from any set of imagination that Indians could upset us and had we thought we were not that much shocked as we are now or else we had been so much loud mouth in the first instance.

Were we intoxicated with Bangladesh win who very comfortably trounced India a couple of days before at the same venue? Had we thought that when Bangladesh can defeat them so how we cannot? Isn’t it a big question for my officials and team to figure out as to how could India score one run more than us after losing only 4 wickets whereas we had lost 6 wickets instead? Yet another question is as to how India scored 340 in 47.5 over whereas Pakistan netted 339 in full 50 0vers.

I and with all millions of my compatriots whether living within beloved Pakistan or overseas that we win the final and lift Asia Cup but how, better you answer and not me.

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