[PPS]

This really is a 'tournament of upsets'. Starting to worry a bit for India now for tomorrow,good thing is our 1 bad game is already done with against Sri Lanka.
Never thought Pakistan could reach the final.

[jbpanda]

Pakistan's record against India in ICC events should be more of a pressure on Pakistan. Indian Team is always under fan pressure so don't think there should be too much of a difference. India should focus on basics and do what they have been doing well and they should sail through for tomorrow. For Pakistan, it would be more of a contest between their bowling and our batting. Let's hope for the best.

[NPV]

Hoping India will win tomorrow against the resurgent Bangla tigers. This will ensure a thrilling India-Pakistan final

Of course there is also the (remote ?) possibility of an upset tomorrow that can make it a Bangladesh-Pakistan final, which I hope will not be the case!

[jbpanda]

It was a complete performance by India and a well deserved comprehensive victory. Hope we continue the momentum in the final and give the Pakistani young bowlers a dose to remember for their lifetime. Just in the manner we dealt with them in the league match.

[Sawyer]

Complete performance indeed; and credit to Virat Kohli for an all round performance!

Yadav for Jadhav would not have been a good move, so I was wrong in that respect.

But Yuvraj is getting to be a passenger and a liability. Plus Virat isn't able to shout at him for his terrible fielding efforts. The one thing though is that he seems to save himself for Pakistan, so he will be in the team.

Yadav for Ashwin?

[vamsi.kona]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Yadav for Ashwin?

Unless the pitch is too spin friendly, I would definitely go for Yadav over Ashwin. He is also a bit quicker on the filed. As a surprise probably Shami in place of Ashwin would also do.

[Sawyer]

Excellent tribute to Kohli by ABDeVilliers here:http://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/40306937

I have to admit not liking his on field antics at all, but if that is the price to be paid for the rest of the package, it seems reasonable as I think about it. I hope in a couple of years the antics reduce without anything else being affected.

Also, I think Dhoni is writing a last but not the least chapter on his greatness. To give up leadership and to still contribute effectively is extremely difficult.

And a quote in the Guardian that reflects the perceived status of the team, the first time I have heard an Indian cricket team described in a way that perhaps only Australian teams of the past have been talked about: "India have looked the classiest, most obviously state-of-the-art team in the tournament".

With all its shenanigans, the BCCI must still be given credit for this.

Another excellent article by Scyld Berry points out the three most important cricket matches in history:
1. The 1877 match between England and Australia that launched Test Cricket.
2. The 1983 World Cup Final that confirmed the move to limited overs cricket.
3. The 2007 T20 Final that resulted in the formation of IPL that has transformed the game again and given professional cricketers the world over a living in line with other sportsmen. Via IPL and all other copycat leagues.

Two of the three matches feature an India win.

The world of cricket has much to be grateful for, to Indian cricket. Far more than it is prepared to admit.

[Dieseltuned]

It's a complete disaster. Simply let down and damn disappointing !

You know what I am talking about

[Gannu_1]

I feel sorry for Pandya. He might well be on his way to hit a century but he wouldn't get the required support to make us win. :(

EDIT: Oh well! Thank you Sir Jadeja.

[Arjun Reddy]

I am assuming I will be forgiven for going off topic.

India beat Pakistan 7- 1 in hockey today.

http://www.firstpost.com/sports/india-vs-pakistan-live-hockey-world-league-semi-finals-2017-scores-and-updates-india-crush-pakistan-7-1-to-register-third-consecutive-win-3709675.html/amp

[Santoshbhat]

What a spell of bowling by Md. Amir! Three big fish (got the biggest fish, Kohli twice in 2 balls) on a flat pitch on a hot afternoon is some bowling.

Well played Paksitan. We were totally outplayed today. Nothing went right for India after winning the toss. The Bumrah no ball wicket and missed run out opportunities hurt India.

What a fairy tale if you are a Pakistani fan. The final looks like a perfect reversal of the group match result between the 2 teams!

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

I am assuming I will be forgiven for going off topic.

India beat Pakistan 7- 1 in hockey today.

Not an ardent fan of current Indian cricket, but am proud of the way the national team played in this tournament. Still, I think it's time we take the message in the following cartoon (origin unknown) seriously.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

I feel sorry for Pandya.

He was the only bright spark in the entire day today. He could have gone down fighting but Jadeja had other plans. The attitude of Jadeja while batting was most disappointing , he looked disinterested throughout & was only milking the part timer for singles. All along Jadeja's natural instinct is to go after the bowling so his approach today was surprising. The entire team looked shell shocked and the manner of defeat was disappointing. And that no ball by Bumrah will be cursed by fans for a few months.

Btw, my mom always insists whenever you win the toss you should bat first. Don't know if that would have made much of a difference, it was just a bad day for the team.

[vibbs]

There are a few cardinal sins in cricket that should not be forgiven. One is poor fielding. Not in this match per se, but fielders like Jadhav are a liability in the field. No matter how good you bat or bowl, below average fielding should be a zero tolerance ability.

Another one is bowling no balls. This is second time that no balls in a knock out of an international tournament had proven expensive for India. Remember world t20 semis against west indies anyone?

People should be told to buck up on these, else during crunch situations these will come up as short comings.

That said, team management also needs to think of Yuvi's role in the team. His fielding has also become a liability for the team and with his age not sure if it is worthwhile to invest in him for the next world cup. Similarly MSD. He is no longer the batsman he used to be, but still I guess the best wicketkeeper we have today. So the management should be clear that with him in the team, they need to consider them self a batsman less.

Today's match, Pakistan just proved to be as Mercurial as ever. Truly champions in the way they fought back this series.

[Eddy]

I'd like to see a bowling coach correct this no ball problem in the nets.

Zaheer Khan !!!