Asia Cup 2022: India-Pakistan ready for the high-voltage match

 

The Indian cricket team is set to defend its Asia Cup 2022 title against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. So far, 9 T20 Internationals have been played between the two teams, out of which India has won seven matches, while Pakistan has won just two. The last match between the two teams was played during the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, in which India suffered a crushing defeat by ten wickets.

Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi took 2 wickets to demolish the Indian top order. Contributions from then captain Virat Kohli (57) and Rishabh Pant (39) took India to 151 for 7 in their 20 overs, but the best of Mohammad Rizwan (79*) and Pakistani captain Babar Azam (68*) Thanks to the innings, Pakistan won the match by 10 wickets.

Team India is in great form

But this time the situation is a bit different. The Indian team is currently in excellent form. The Indian team has defeated England and West Indies in their ODI and T20 series at their homes. The team is also at the top of the T20 International rankings. This match against Pakistan will also be very important for captain Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Indian fans would like these three batsmen to perform well with their bat and lead the team to victory, especially as all eyes will be on Rohit and Virat to achieve their best form and play match-winning innings.

New stars have emerged in India's middle order. Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda are two exciting strikers who can attack from the very first ball. Both these hitters have a chance to register their names in history against their arch-rivals in this match. Batsmen like Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant will also be eager to continue their stellar form.

There is a lot of depth in the Indian bowling attack. In the absence of key pacer Jasprit Bumrah, all eyes will be on Bhuvneshwar Kumar who will lead the attack. He has been brilliant for India in T20Is this year, especially during the powerplays. Youngsters Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan will also have a chance to make an impact. In the spin department, experienced Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will lead the attack. They will have to complete the attack well with Yuzvendra Chahal and young Ravi Bishnoi troubling the Pakistanis with their balls.

India's probable playing XI against Pakistan - Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Arshdeep Singh.

Pakistan's top order is very strong

Talking about the Pakistani team, they are ranked third in the ICC T20 rankings and they should not be taken lightly. They have two in-form batsmen in the form of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the top order. Both of them are Pakistan's best batsmen as far as T20 is concerned but the side will have to make sure that they don't just rely on them. Other batsmen like Fakhar Zaman, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, etc will have to contribute with the bat with the same energy and efficiency as their top batsmen, they can present a big challenge for India.

Big blow to Pakistan in the form of Afridi

However, in the absence of left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, the Pakistani fast bowling attack has suffered a major setback. Another fast bowler Mohammad Wasim was also ruled out due to injury on Friday. Although the team also has excellent young fast bowlers like Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Veteran Hasan Ali has also returned to the team. Mohammad Hasnain has also been included in the team in place of Shaheen.

Whatever the outcome, fans will get to witness a high-voltage fight between these two Asian giants and will surely be glued to their TV sets. Indian and Pakistan flags and jersey colors will adorn the stands throughout the stadium and the sounds of the national anthem, and Bollywood songs will play in Dubai and create a suitable environment for such a big clash.

Both the teams are as follows-

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.

Pakistan : Babar Azam (Captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain.