Hyderabad, Feb. 17 -- Quite often in all sports, winning or losing is in the mind. If a player wins one match, he gets fired up and confident in the next match. Conversely, losing can have an adverse effect on the mind. One loss may make the player determined to lift his game for the next match. But a series of losses may bring about a negative mental complex. The player may develop a defeatist attitude and resign himself to his fate. He may become unable to fight back strongly.

This seems to be the case whenever India and Pakistan clash on the cricket field. India is riding the crest of a wave. Nothing can go wrong with it. On the other hand, Pakistan can rarely get its act together. In total, India and Pakistan have clashed 17 times in...