India Pakistan T20 World Cup Match Preview: Sunday, 24th October
It is difficult to imagine that the last T20 world cup was held 5 years back, but the wait is finally over and the fans can’t wait to see the two arch-rivals India and Pakistan battle it out at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The 17,500 tickets for the game were sold out hours after being put on sale and the buzz around the blockbuster game underlines the enduring appeal of the match between the winners of the first two editions.
While India has an impeccable record against Pakistan in the ICC tournaments, a close game is expected between the top two title favourites, in conditions that are pretty similar to home conditions for both the teams.
Since the inception of the T20 World Cup in 2007, India has met Pakistan five times in six editions so far but Pakistan have failed to beat India in any of the World Cup (ODI and T20) matches to date.
So, what can we expect on Sunday?
If form in the two warm-up games against two strong sides England and Australia is anything to go by, then India has given glimpses of why they are title favourites and it will take a herculean effort from Pakistan to repeat the heroics of the 2017 Champions Trophy Final.
Going into the tournament, India’s strengths lie in its in-form opening pair of KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma, destructive middle order in Pant / Surya Kumar Yadav / Hardik Pandya, variety in the spin attack, Jasprit Bumrah’s match-winning abilities, and not to forget the experience of playing T20 cricket in UAE during recently concluded IPL. The addition of MS Dhoni as the team mentor and his calming influence is going to take away a lot of pressure from captain Virat Kohli, who will be keen to win his first prestigious ICC World Cup trophy as captain.
Indians though will have to find a sixth bowling option in Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, with Hardik Pandya expected to resume bowling duties only in the latter part of the tournament.
On the other hand, Pakistani supporters will hope that captain Babar Azam, the best batsman in the team, along with deputy Rizwan could help Pakistan post a respectful total. Babar and Rizwan who average 46.9 and 48.4 respectively and are only behind Virat Kohli (52.6) in International T20s form a lethal opening pair. The selectors have done well to make changes in the previously announced squad and add batters like Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik, both with an excellent record against India. The experienced middle-order including Hafeez with the ability to rotate the strike as well hit boundaries, could negate the Indian spinners and keep the scoreboard moving, something Pakistan has struggled with in the past.
In Shahin Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali, Pakistan has one of the best bowling line-ups in the tournament. This left-right combination and their ability to bowl Yorkers could pose challenges for any batting line-up. The wily-left arm spinner in Imad Wasim and his record in keeping batters quiet in power plays (impressive economy rate of 6.4 runs per over in T20s and only behind Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan amongst the active T20 players) adds strength to the Pakistan bowling line-up.
Pakistan has added Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander to the support staff and the pair with a proven international pedigree will hope to make a positive impact on the side.
The emotionally charged Pakistan team will look to prove a point to their fans globally, after New Zealand and England cancelled their tours at the eleventh hour, much to the embarrassment of international cricket starved nation.
Team News:
The two teams are likely to go with the three pacer – two spinner combination, given both teams are adept at playing spinners well. While Indian team management has kept its cards close to the chest, Pakistan went ahead and announced their 12-man squad.
Indian batting department has a settled look to it with Ishan Kishan likely to sit out despite putting solid performances in the series against England and Sri Lanka earlier this year. In the pace department, the toss-up is likely between experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur. Shardul has a knack for picking up wickets at crucial junctures and his ability to get handy lower-order runs could give him an edge over out-of-form Bhuvneshwar in this game.
The highly experienced Ravichandran Ashwin with his great game awareness and ability to bowl in powerplays could make a comeback in the Indian limited-overs team, following his outstanding performance in the last warm-up game and mystery-spinner Varun Chakravarthy and leggie Rahul Chahar may have to wait for their turn.
Pakistan has fewer selection headaches and the number of all-rounders in the team provides plenty of batting and bowling options. Haider Ali is expected to do the twelfth man duty.
Like the last game between England and West Indies, the pitch in Dubai is expected to favour the slower bowlers and a change of pace will be the key. The two matches in the main group of the world cup so far have been low scoring ones, but one can expect the star-studded batting line-ups in both sides to post a competitive 150-160+ score. A close encounter in one of the greatest rivalries in sports is what fans, broadcasters and ICC will hope for.
- Girish Bhatia
Pure Cricket
