If you don’t know how big of a deal the Pakistan-India games are, you were either born yesterday, have been living under a rock—or both. There is no shortage of material deciphering why this rivalry gets the most hype. But this time, things are very different. Is there a similar hype? Yes. Are Pakistan again balancing at a knife’s edge for survival before facing India? Check.
But what sets this clash apart this time is the fact that the entire build-up to the tournament has actually been about this very game. The schedule was delayed, meetings upon meetings were held. Negotiations were offered, then rejected. Governments stepped in, the ICC took a backseat, and eventually, the matter was settled somehow. And after all that drama, here we are and here it is, the game that had the world on edge before a ball was even bowled.
For two teams that have not played a single bilateral game in over a decade, Pakistan and India manage to face off frequently enough. In the current Future Tours Programme Cycle, they have met at least once every year. But what happened when they last met in a Champions Trophy game was, more or less, a turning point for Pakistan cricket. Thats when things started falling into place for them. And that’s what Pakistan once again need desperately. Their hopes of survival in the tournament hinge entirely on this match.
India convincingly defeated Bangladesh in their opener, so they are automatically in a more comfortable position than Pakistan. After the early edge they got, a win against Pakistan would all but seal their spot in the semi-finals. Adding to that, they are familiar with the Dubai pitch, at least more than what Pakistan would be, having already played and trained here.
Team Overview:
Losing the first game was not the only troubling thing that happened for Pakistan on the opening day. They also lost Fakhar Zaman, and will need to go through the tournament without their x-factor. Imam-ul-Haq was called up to replace Fakhar but the question about who will accompany him at the top remains. Babar Azam opened versus New Zealand, and though he stayed for a long innings, his knock lacked impact. But do his side have any other options than to send him at the top spots once again? Pakistan are likely not to make a lot of changes to the squad that played the Kiwis in Karachi the other day. Abrar Ahmed, the side’s sole spinner, will play a key role on Dubai’s slow pitches.
India would be relieved to have seen their team combinations doing what was required of them in the Bnagladesh match. They can make changes to the bowling lineup, given they have no less than five spinners in the squad. Virat Kohli played a prosaic inning against Bangladesh but Pakistan have always been his favourite opposition to face. Although India ended up winning the first game, there were plenty of flaws they would want to address, especially with the batting.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Pakistan and India have faced off in 135 ODI matches. Out of these 135 games, Pakistan were able to bag 73 games, while India won 57. 5 games ended without any result.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Dubai’s track was fairly sluggish in the first game India played here. And this is how the surface is going to act like throughout the tournament. This means batters will have to make hay early on in the game, because once the ball starts turning it will be difficult to read it. The toss-winning captain should look to bat first, though toss will not be as much of a deciding factor as it usually is at the venue.
Prediction:
Predictions become a thousand-fold difficult when one of the team involved is as mercurial as Pakistan. Although India are in a better poistion to win this game too, dont expect Pakistan to go down without a fight.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad, PTV Sport, Ten Sports, Myco App
India: Star Sports Network, Network 18, JioCinema App
UK: Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action, Sky Sport App
Australia: PrimeVideo
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ, Sky Sports Now, Sky Go
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport Network
Bangladesh: Nagorik TV, T Sports, Toffee app
Sri Lanka: Maharaja TV, Sirasa TV
USA: Willow TV
Caribbean: ESPN Caribbean App
MENA: StarzPlay, CricLife Max, CricLife Max 2
