It’s India vs Pakistan episode two, and things have become spicier than they were at this time last Sunday. India already have a win against Pakistan, and another will do two things for them. One, keep their unbeaten run in three back-to-back tournaments, including the 2024 T20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the current Asia Cup, alive. Two, lower the chances of them facing Pakistan on a third Sunday running.
Off the field, the rivalry has gathered great gusto. There have been cancelled press conferences, subtle (supposed) digs at each other, and a rejuvenation of the Andy Pycroft debate. All of these have suppressed the boycott calls, if temporarily, which means the game will have more eyeballs than it had last week.
But while the rivalry is simmering out of control outside the ground, India’s dominance on the field has not trembled in the slightest. They got into a pickle for a few overs against Oman, but that had more to do with them cutting themselves some slack than any apparent flaw.
Team Overview:
Pakistan faced an irony of sorts that only a team like them could produce. Saim Ayub, one of their best bets with the bat coming into the tournament, has a tally of zero runs in three games. With the ball, which he takes only part-time, he has managed six wickets and was the side’s highest wicket-taker against India. If that wasn’t enough, take a guess who has the highest strike rate for the side in this Asia Cup. It shouldn’t be difficult if you have followed Pakistan’s games and the outpour on social media following them. Shaheen Shah Afridi has been an outlier in Pakistan’s slow-striking batting lineup, scoring at 206 in three games.
As outrageous as it seems, it couldn’t take the attention away from the lack of concrete in the rest of the batting order. Among the teams in Super Fours, Pakistan have both the worst average and the lowest strike rate. By miles. And while they are presented with the opportunity to start anew in this stage, hitting the ground running against a side like India could make things trickier.
Pakistan might also think of diverting from their one pacer and plenty of spinners strategy, as they did against UAE by resting Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf for Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah.
Axar Patel’s inclusion is up in the air after he hurt his head taking a catch against Oman. If he is unavailable for selection, that could hurt India’s batting as well as bowling strength. They could have one of Harshit Rana or Arshdeep Singh to replace him, though the chances of the former doing so are higher. India finally gave Samson a crack among the top order against Oman, but his batting lacked the fluency the side is used to getting from him. But that was more of a one-time chance, which arose when the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav refrained from batting at all.
Head-to-Head Matches:
India and Pakistan have played just 14 T20I games against each other, out of which India have won 11.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Suryakumar Yadav said the toss has not impacted results in Dubai largely, which means dew is unlikely to play any role in the second innings. Dubai has been the worst of the two venues for batters, but only marginally. Expect spinners to hold sway once again.
Prediction:
It is going to be a close game, though India have form and history favouring them.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: PTV Sports, Tapmad, Myco
India: Sony Sports Network, Sony Liv app
UAE and MENA: CricLife Max via eLife TV and Switch TV, StarzPlay
Australia: Kayo Sports
Bangladesh: Gazi TV, Toffee, Tapmad
