There has been plenty of noise to drown out the India-Pakistan games hysteria this year. First came the uncertainty that surrounded the fate of the tournament, finally boiling down to moving the Asia Cup out of India just to guarantee that both sides met. Then came boycott calls that hung over the build-up to the group stage game. Press conferences kept brushing aside the claim that Pakistan-India matches meant anything more than regular games.
There were kerfuffles on the field, silent protests and no handshakes. There were also post-match jibes, along with attempts to downplay the rivalry based on results. All of that now pours into this game, the first Pakistan-India final in an Asia Cup and only the fourth this century, making it all the more tense, dramatic and inevitable.
If this were a bilateral series, which has all the features of being one, albeit with games a week apart, this would have been a dead rubber with India already winning the first two. But it is not bilateral. This is the final, higher in stakes than the two before.
That is not to say India do not enter as heavy favourites, having lost only one of thirty games in four consecutive multinational tournaments and with a recent history of dominating Pakistan. Yet history offers Pakistan support too. They have won seven of ten finals across formats against India.
The stage is set for tempers to flare and tension thick enough to slice through, and regardless of who wins or how the game goes the game promises plenty of drama.
Team Overview:
It’s funny how all of Pakistan’s reforms revolved around fixing their batting by adjusting their playing at a rate acceptable by modern standards. However, the thing that bailed out Pakistan in previous games and lifts them to present a par challenge to India is once again their bowling. After losing to India last Sunday, Pakistan’s bowlers ran the hard yards to steer the side to the final.
In all fairness, matching India’s batting finesse would hardly be a doable job for Pakistan. The only thing they can do to pose a big threat to the Indian juggernaut would be with their bowling ability. Still, the batting lineup would need to put something together to have a realistic chance against India.
Saim Ayub has been dealing in ducks since the start of this tournament, and while Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan managed quicker runs, they failed to stand for longer times. On top of that, the lack of clarity of the middle-order role has been flabbergasting. Agha Salman, who has been largely uninspiring this tournament, has regularly batted at No. 4, which has at times disadvantaged Pakistan by giving less time to hitters like Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Afridi.
All India would need to do to win this game is not fail to do what they have been doing the entire tournament, and that is to hope their openers set them up for a big total. The middle-order issues haven’t spared a team like India either. The difference between the top four batters’ strike rate (156) and the next four’s strike rate (128) makes for the Achilles heel Pakistan could target.
As daunting as the task would be to get rid of the Indian top-order before they incur the damage, there might not be a lot of winning ways besides that.
Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma left the field during the second innings against Sri Lanka with cramps. Morne Morkel said the call on Pandya’s fitness will be taken on the morning of the game.
Head-to-Head Matches:
India and Pakistan have played just 15 T20I games against each other, out of which India have won 12.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Pakistan’s last batting display in Dubai fetched opposite results of India’s last. Pakistan could only score 135 in their game against Bangladesh, though that was more to do with Pakistan faltering to score. The surface has become better for batting, and while dew hasn’t impacted the results in the Asia Cup so far, the nights are getting marginally less warm, which could bring that factor in.
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
