This is a Group A contest, in which Pakistan has already suffered a massive jolt in their opening game by losing to newcomers USA. Now, it’s more than just a rivalry at stake, but Pakistan will be fighting to keep their hopes alive in this tournament. On the other hand, India have had an easy run in their opening encounter, as they made quick work of Ireland with an eight-wicket win.
Head-to-head
As far as the head-to-head record is concerned, India enjoy an upper hand against Pakistan, winning nine out of 12 contests they have played in T20 format. In T20 World Cups, India have maintained their dominance by winning six out of the seven matches against their arch-rival Pakistan.
Pitch report
This is one of those rare contests where the pitch has emerged as the center of attraction rather than two teams. This is a newly laid pitch, and players and coaches have rightly said that there is an element of uncertainty associated with the surface. It is because of the uneven bounce on the pitch that batters have struggled a lot so far in this tournament. Pakistan pacers must be waiting to unleash their weapons to the maximum effect, provided the pitch once again behaves erratically. In the previous encounters, this pitch had an average first innings score of 99 and a second innings score of 97.
Players on both sides who could change the game:
From India’s perspective, Virat Kohli is one player who has tormented Pakistan the most in their recent encounters. Kohli has a tremendous record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, with 308 runs in five innings, including four 50s. Another big contender who could turn the game for India is all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who can test the best batters in business with his precise bowling, and he also provides depth to Indian batting. Beside these two, India has the world’s best bowler in its line-up in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, who has all the weapons in his arsenal to trouble the very best batters across the world. From toe-crushing yorkers to cunning in-swingers and devastating bouncers, Bumrah will certainly make it really difficult for Pakistan’s batters.
From Pakistan’s perspective, their opening pair of skipper Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan are key to their batting line-up. If these two manage to provide the right platform for Pakistan then that could set the tone for the rest of the team. In their bowling department, Pakistan has a hugely talented Shaheen Afridi, who has sheer pace and some really potent deliveries in his arsenal. Afridi will be complemented by the trio of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir – all of whom can pose serious questions with their raw pace.
India vs Pakistan Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed
