It's India v Pakistan!

The two teams with a traumatic first round exit in the world cup of the 50-over game now meet in the final of the 20-20 world cup. The India-Pakistan must be a dream final for everyone involved, except the other 10 teams. After missing on their customary world cup showdown in the West Indies, we get two this time.

To be frank, I am not a big fan of 20-20. Not to say that I don't find it exciting. But cricket for me is special for its technique, tactics and the formal beauty of the game. In this format the technique and the formal beauty go for a six. Tactics is important, but it is not really the peculiarly appealing tactics of the 5-day version, or even the 50-over version.

Here's a prediction, which is not solely premised on what happened in South Africa. India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will dominate this format for at least the next couple of years. This version is rather well-suited for their game, and I don't mean it as a compliment.

From an Indian point of view, this tournament is hugely important. The big question facing everyone was how will India cope with the imminent departure of the legends. This should give a great deal of confidence, at the very least. More on this after the final.