Must win for India in high voltage clash

An year on since that epic World Cup semifinal in Mohali, India and Pakistan are set to face off again. But unlike their last battle — when it was a knockout for both the teams — it's a must-win match only for India as Pakistan have already booked a place in the final. The euphoria of Sachin Tendulkar's 100th century was snuffed out by Bangladesh on Friday. That loss has put India in almost a knockout situation against Pakistan today. Meanwhile, Pakistan go into the high-voltage clash with a clean chit, having beaten the hosts and the Lankans in their two previous matches. Batting has never been a worry on the docile subcontinent tracks, as evidenced by the totals of 304 and 289 achieved by the World Champions so far. Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Tendulkar have a century each under their belt. And the success of top-order has allowed the likes of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni up the ante at the death, with wickets in hand. However, the lower middle order hasn't had much of a hit. But conceding 85 runs in the last 10 overs against Bangladesh is a big worry for Dhoni. Irfan Pathan went for 61 in 9 overs and Ashok Dinda was plundered for 38 in his 5.2 overs. Praveen bowled well until the penultimate over of the chase, in which he leaked 13 runs to end up with a spell of 3 for 56. So, Dhoni must be weighing his options, which are far and few in this squad. The pressure that a Pakistan match brings with it also has to be considered, for you need skills and experience in equal measure against your arch enemy. In that scenario, Vinay Kumar could be the only change in the team. He should replace Dinda. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin should remain the two spinners in the XI, with Irfan Pathan filling up as a bowling all-rounder. Teams Probable XI: India: Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, R Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar. Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmad (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema