PatilPulse

When rivalry spills beyond the pitch days before India vs Pakistan Just when you thought an India vs Pakistan World Cup clash couldn’t get any more intense, former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir added fresh fuel to the fire. His target? India’s young opener Abhishek Sharma — currently recovering from illness and still not fully certain to feature in Sunday’s blockbuster. Amir didn’t hold back. He labelled Abhishek “just a slogger,” questioned his technique, and suggested his game is high-risk with limited technical foundation. In a rivalry that rarely needs extra drama, those words landed heavily. But beyond the headline-grabbing quotes, there’s a deeper conversation here. Is It Just Mind Games — Or Is There a Point? Let’s start with the obvious: this could simply be classic pre-match psychological warfare. India vs Pakistan fixtures are as much about mental pressure as they are about cricketing skill. A sharp comment here, a bold prediction there — it’s all part of the theatre. But dism...

Two wins, yes — but are the warning signs louder than the scorecards suggest? India have done what champions are supposed to do — win. Two matches, two victories. On paper, it looks smooth. But scratch beneath the surface, and this T20 World Cup campaign feels oddly fragile. Half-centuries from Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya suggest solidity. Yet the swagger that dismantled South Africa and New Zealand in pre-tournament series seems muted. India aren’t dominating — they’re surviving patches of chaos. And in tournaments like this, survival without control can be a dangerous habit. The Mini-Collapses No One Can Ignore When 77 for 6 isn’t just a blip Against the United States, India stumbled to 77 for 6. Let that sink in. A world champion side, on home soil, wobbling against a team still finding its feet on the global stage. Credit where it’s due — Shadley van Schalkwyk exploited the conditions brilliantly. But here’s the uncomfortable question: was that collapse more a...