You know this one is another India-Pakistan crunch match when Anwer Ali Khan, Pakistan’s new ball bowler, says, ‘‘Masla sara toss ka hai’’. His coach Mansoor Rana throws in a few figures but roughly says the same thing.‘‘Check the two semis’’, Rana advises. ‘‘The aggregate runs scored by the team batting first is 579, batting second is 182. Decide for yourself how important the toss will be.’’Tomorrow’s day-night match, the final of the ICC U-19 World Cup, would have been a high-pressure game in any case; with the toss playing such a crucial role, the tension will be ratcheted up.When it comes to India-Pakistan World Cup matches, there can’t be a better coach than Venkatesh Prasad. In 1996 he famously showed Aamir Sohail the way to the dressing room and returned figures of 3 Four years later, in England, he was Man of the Match with figures of 5 So today when he appears bemused by the hype, it’s genuine. ‘‘What pressure are you taking about, why make the toss a huge issue? Batting first or second, lights or no lights, my players have repeatedly surprised me with their performance.’’One thing’s for sure: the Indian batting, so long imperious in this tournament, will face their biggest challenge when they face the Pakistan pacers. Australian captain Moises Henriques testified to their potency after his team’ loss in yesterday’s semi-final. ‘‘It’s the most disciplined attack I’ve seen here. No loose balls, no extras.’’If India’s openers Gaurav Dhiman and Cheteshwar Pujara can overcome the Pakistan new ball bowlers Anwer and Jamshaid Ahmad, the World Cup will be that much closer. That is, if it can get much closer!
