I'd have to say, it is the quality of this team that's seeing them atop the test rankings and close to the same in the OdI rankings, but on the day, itself, it was their spirit. I think any team, that focusses on youth is bound to have quality. The analogies you gave of Ireland and Bangladesh are probably wrong because, India and Pakistan are a lot more evenly matched than that. In most of their encounters, they've enjoyed a level playing field, with spirit and unity winning the day, often. As for India's fielding, they've been taking it pretty seriously since Ian Chappell, but it's Gary whose gotten the team comfy around him, while Chappell couldn't culturally adapt, and his methods were therefore not as well received.
And I do think, even 230-240 would've been hard for the Pakis to chase, simply because of the pressure of the occasion. Most teams would crumble in such a high pressure game away from home. Like I said earlier, this game, was like a game of two innings. You can't say this match was lost on fielding alone. Batting played a huge part, Pakistan had almost no plan in their innings, and that's why it fell apart, because despite their fielding woes 260 was not impossible. Although what was the point you were making again?