India vs Paksitan: Should India field First?

India and Pakistan will face each other within 24 hours in their last group stage match. This is going to be one of the most exciting matches of Twenty20 world cup 2007. Fans of both India and Pakistan are now eagerly waiting to see the match. The match will be held in Kingsmead, Durban. India is now under pressure as their first match against Scotland was not held because of rain. So, India and Scotland have to share equal points from this match.

Now, India has to win against Pakistan to ensure their entrance in super eight round. India cricketers have to play their best to win the match otherwise India has to go through a complex calculation of run rate to get into the super eight round leaving behind Scotland. Pakistan has already won against Scotland. So, Pakistan has confirmed their entrance in the super eight round.

So, I think, if India wins the toss then they should not field first. If they field first and Pakistan throws a big score then definitely create some pressure on Indian batsmen. Another thing is that if India bats later then their batsmen have face two targets; one is to win the match and another is to qualify for the super eight stage. So, no doubt, facing two targets will create some pressure for Indian batsmen. Most of the Indian batsmen are young and that is why, putting them under pressure will not be right decision. Rather India’s bowling line up including Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh who can bowl well in the slog overs, is much more experienced than their batting line up.

So, I think, India should not field first. Rather, they should choose bat first if they can win the toss. Thus they can create pressure on the Pakistan batsmen. Another thing is that the match will star at evening. So, I think, dew factor may create some problem for the team who will bat later. No doubt, Twenty20 is just a 40 over match where dew factor has less impact. However, even a less impact can bring out a huge loses for a team in Twenty20 format where situation changes after every few overs. Even a small mistake can cause bigger impact in the match. So, India should not field first against Pakistan in Twenty20 world cup.