This is where the Champions Trophy actually starts – with this ‘mother of all battles’. In the future, depending on the fate of One Day Internationals, historians will point to this match and say either

• a) in spite of the great crowds for the India-Pakistan match, it was generally acknowledged that ODIs were on their way out, and that this was one of the few matches that could still compete with the Twenty20 revolution. Or,

• b) This match proved that the ODI was still healthy, alive and kicking. One only had to be at the Centurion on that day and experience the fanatical devotion of the fans to know that something that struck such a deep chord with such a large mass of people, could in no way be called ‘dead’ or ‘dying’.

The venue couldn’t have been more apt – It was here in 2003 that these two sides last met in a match that has since been summed up by two words: Sachin Tendulkar. The occasion is perfect for an established master or a rising star to play the kind of innings or bowl the kind of spell for which generations will remember him.