On a war footing!

We live in an instant age. An age of instant coffee, instant noodles and instant gratification in life at large. In sports, too, fans are more excited about instant results. This is where the growth of instant cricket, T20, has been exponential.

Today (Sunday), almost everyone will be glued to their TV sets, phones, gizmos, laptops, and Ipads. It's India versus Pakistan in the ICC World T20, which is definitely a blockbuster. The venue is not in the sub-continent, but the famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) which will generate enormous excitement.

Body pulse and heart rates will race, fans will be raucous, emotions will be high. And this being a cracker of a match just a day before Diwali, also called Deepawali in some parts of India, India versus Pakistan is what will hold us in thrall today.

The weather forecast is a bit iffy, there could be rain. Given the way Australia deploys technology to prepare pitches, uses best covers and has drains to clear excess water, to say it will be a washout is hard. In the event of rain on Sunday washing out play, India and Pakistan will split points. Chances of precipitation in Melbourne are 80 per cent. India versus Pakistan is not just about sport. It is about excess emotions, where the average fan will pray, one must not lose to the neighbours.

Sample this. Even before the ICC World Cup result is out on India versus Pakistan, there is already an intense debate on what should happen with the Asia Cup. Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary has ruled out India travelling to Pakistan in 2023. It has angered Pakistan. Former cricketers from across the border are now shouting Pakistan must not travel to India for the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023!

This is the beauty about cricket contests between the two nations. Yes, it is a rivalry. Then again, it's just sport, though the polarisation of all types hits a crescendo. At the Asia Cup held two months ago at the desert venues of the United Arab Emirates, India won a match against Pakistan and then lost an important one.

Reactions were jarring. There was a hue and cry among Indian fans, billions of them, at home and overseas. This is what an India versus Pak match does to us. Even today, people will pray we should not lose to Pakistan, whatever else happens 'chalega'.

The best of sociologists, experts, pundits, and fans have tried to understand the psyche behind the mass hysteria which India versus Pakistan produces in a cricket match. Everyone agrees it is just another match. Yet, everyone will indulge in pure vitriol, slanging, using social media as a tool to convey feelings of joy, frustration, agony and ecstasy. It all depends on what pans out in that one contest spread over 40 overs, weather permitting.

People will talk of who is the favourite, what the odds are, how form favours one team and so on. The reality of a T20 contest, be it in the Indian Premier League or any other league is, results are most unpredictable. Sri Lanka has shown, repeatedly, how they can bounce back. They did it in the Asia cup and again in the qualifiers for the ICC World T20. All this, despite the political and economic turmoil in the Island nation.

Cricket needs to see such teams like Sri Lanka perform. Hype, alone, does no good. The high decibel rants and fights over the outcome of the India versus Pakistan match are not always good. The sad side is when India loses (God forbid), the trigger of emotional outrage is beyond control. Players get abused, coaches get abused, people will talk of betting, fixing and everything else which acts like plague. Worse, families of players are also not spared and loyalties questioned.

One hopes, things will change as India versus Pakistan is now so often on the field, people need to understand it is just a match. It is not as if two nations are engaged in war on the border, where eyeball stare and finger on the trigger is common. Modern-day wars are won not by sheer might alone. There is strategy and there is a method of out-thinking the rival.

In cricket, too, this logic applies. Modern day T20 is extremely hard. Players are on the field longer than what the body can take. It results in injuries. Look at the number of players from Team India who are cooling their heels at home — Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar. If you recall, a player like T Natarajan has almost been forgotten.

One has to be not just fit physically, but also be in good form and ready for the rigours of a World T20. There is stress and wear and tear to be factored. Above all, a player has to be cool. One dropped catch or error in fielding will cause caustic emotions. If you happen to be a wicket-keeper and fumble, hell breaks out.

These are the ingredients in any T20 match, and India versus Pakistan amplifies it further. There are frowns and crevices already on the foreheads of coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma. They know the pressure is sky high. The duo is aware they have to deliver as they have been hired for the job.

Concern over players' form is genuine. The Indian superstars realise how hard it is to be out there in the middle and deliver. Conditions in Australia will be different. The pitches will be very different from the UAE. Yet, it is not like old times where it would assist pacers, big time. Nobody wants to see a low-scoring match in T20 cricket. The emphasis is on big scores, and dew factor alone will not decide contests in Australia. That was the trend in the UAE last year in the ICC World T20 as well.

On a macro level, despite the hype over India versus Pakistan, defending champions Australia are also well aware of what their fans want. The nature of T20 is such, to name a team as outright favourite is impossible.

When India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 against Pakistan, it was brilliant. Much has changed since then. In the last 15 years, T20 has undergone several changes. Scores are higher, bowlers have innovated and the fielding standards have become crazy. Watching Virat Kohli take a catch recently in a warm-up match in Australia last week on the fence was gravity defying. He is 33, mind you.

You also have people like Dinesh Karthik approaching 40. Will he get the nod over Rishabh Pant? How does the middle order shape up? There are any number of questions for Team India against Pakistan's Green Army led by Babar Azam, a brilliant player. Pakistan are masters in innovation and they play with great passion. It was in Australia in 1992, Imran Khan led them to victory in the ODI World Cup.

Such stats do come to the mind as Australia is a sporting nation where each venue is so historical. Pakistan have always done well under pressure and this is one area where they know they can gain an advantage over India. They love to get under the skin of the Indians, though players like Pant are also capable of riling the rivals. For the record, Pakistan have made it to the semi-finals five out of seven times in the ICC World T20.

Even as India prepares for the arduous challenge in Australia, changes at home in the BCCI have been fascinating. New president Roger Binny is making the right noises. He has spoken on injuries, workload management, and also preparing pitches which will not back the break of the fast bowlers.

Binny was a quality all-rounder and an important member of the 1983 World Cup win. He knows how hard it is for Jasprit Bumrah to be away from the action. Binny has begun on the right note. Having been thrust into BCCI leadership, he knows what is expected from him. Players turning presidents is a good sign.

You can say anything about outgoing President Sourav Ganguly. Yet, people still remember the Maharaj of Kolkata for his leadership skills as captain in yesteryears. Binny knows he has a job to do. Having a former cricketer as president has advantages. He is in touch with the sport, though he may not have been seen that often on TV like Sunny Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri.

If India does well in the ICC World T20, everyone can pat themselves on their backs. If the campaign misfires, knives will be out. India versus Pakistan on the cricket field is war minus the shooting. Vision cannot be myopic; the big picture is to win the trophy. Fans are thirsting for it and the rich BCCI has to prove to the world they control world cricket!

Views expressed are personal