India vs Pakistan: Everybody’s game is anybody’s game in Kolkata

At Oxford Chai Bar on Thursday afternoon, four elderly men are discussing cricket. They talk about Lala Amarnath, Fazal Mahmood, Imran Khan and, of course, Sunil Gavaskar. Someone mentions the game at the nearby Eden Gardens. The cricket die-hards aren’t T20 fans but keep a close and critical eye on today’s cricketers. “These boys can’t play spin. They should watch Gavaskar’s bat,” bemoans a gentleman.

A short walk from the ‘chai pe charcha’, across the maidan, is the Netaji Indoor Stadium. It’s adjacent to Eden Gardens. The atmosphere is very different from the laidback calm of the Chai bar. A chaotic queue of restless fans waits in front of the ticket window. Suddenly, the fans start shouting. Abuses are being hurled. Fears of a violent protest are rising. It’s all because of the ‘sold out’ placard which appeared some time back. Police intervenes, the crowd is dispersed.

Small disappointed groups head towards the maidan. They might even drop in at the chai shop. There would be more talk about the Gavaskar, Kohli and, of course, the India-Pakistan game at Eden. Like every cricket adda around the world, opinions would be formed and bets placed. Everyone would have their own favourites and predictions. It will be an exercise in futility. T20 format doesn’t give anyone an upper hand, when two almost equally-matched teams meet. Equations can change in a couple of balls. A dropped catch, an umpiring error can prove to be decisive.

Take India’s T20 international against Australia at the SCG on January 31. India went into the final over with 17 runs required off six balls.

Yuvraj Singh was facing Andrew Tye. It was the left-hander’s first innings in international cricket after almost two years and he had been struggling badly, scoring only 5 runs in the first 9 balls. His career had been edging closer to the precipice. But Tye started off with a length ball on the pads, allowing the Indian batsman to swing it to the fine leg boundary. The fast bowler repeated the error and this time Yuvraj hit him for a six over deep mid-wicket. India eventually won the cliffhanger with Yuvraj confirming his ticket for the World T20. Things altered in just two balls, for him and his team.