Asia Cup 2018: Super Four, Match 3, India vs Pakistan, Preview- Men in Green fight to sustain under pressure in yet another Indo-Pak clash

Albeit Sarfraz Ahmed and Co brushed aside Afghanistan by three wickets in Abu Dhabi, they were far from being clinical.

Published - 22 Sept 2018, 18:34 IST | Updated - 22 Sept 2018, 18:34 IST

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After all the hype surrounding India’s match against Pakistan in Dubai on September 19, the contest eventually turned out be a one-sided affair as Rohit Sharma’s men thumped their arch-rivals by eight wickets with 21 overs to spare. At no point in time did the Men in Green look like getting under the skins of their rivals and they kept crumbling as the match progressed.

Albeit Sarfraz Ahmed and Co brushed aside Afghanistan by three wickets in Abu Dhabi, they were far from being clinical and were on the verge of yet another defeat had Shoaib Malik not come to the party and rescued his team from a precarious position. Tomorrow, they are again set to lock horns with India in Dubai and would dearly wish to make amends for their defeat last time.

India, on the contrary, have been pretty authoritative in their approach after Hong Kong gave them a run for their money in their opening match. Another victory against Pakistan will also strengthen their chances of qualifying for the final. The Men in Blue have been hit by quite a few injuries, but they haven’t allowed the mishaps to unnerve them by any stretch of the imagination.

Team Combination

India

India aren’t likely to make any alteration in the eleven. The openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are in prime form. Ambati Rayudu also has looked decent enough. MS Dhoni came to bat at number four and he seemed to have found his feet, which definitely comes as a good news for the team. Tamil Nadu-born Dinesh Karthik is slotted at number five in the lineup.

Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja lend depth to the batting lineup. Both haven’t got much of an opportunity thus far in the event and would want to contribute. The bowling lineup consists of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar along with the wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who haven’t quite been at their very best in the multi-nation event.

Predicted XI

Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan

Pakistan, also, won’t want to tinker much with their winning combination. Shadab Khan, who was replaced by Mohammad Nawaz against the Afghans, will make his comeback. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq are the openers. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam would want to perform well in the upcoming match as well. Haris Sohail is the next man in the batting lineup.

Shoaib Malik remains to be the fulcrum of the middle-order. Sarfraz Ahmed, after floundering with the bat thus far, would desperately want to step up. Asif Ali’s power-hitting capabilities need to come to the fore more often. The Men in Green are likely to persist with the pace-trio of Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan and Hasan Ali with Shadab as the lone spin-bowling option.

Predicted XI

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi

Players to watch out for

Yuzvendra Chahal- India

The Haryana-born leg-break bowler hasn’t had the best of tournament with only three wickets from as many matches. Moreover, all of them came in the first match against Hong Kong. Though he has been able to curb the batsmen from playing the big shots frequently, he hasn’t been able to dismiss them. India would need him to contribute with some wickets in the next encounter.

Fakhar Zaman- Pakistan

The 28-year-old, after a stupendous start to his One Day career for Pakistan, has scored a couple of ducks in the last two encounters. Pakistan would want the left-armer to somehow arrest his slump with the bat and find his form back as the 50-overs extravaganza enters into its crunchstages. On the other hand, India would love to see his back at the earliest.