Asia Cup 2022: Match 2 - Predicted India Playing XI vs Pakistan

India will be locking horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the second match of Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, August 28. The Men in Blue would be eager to avenge last year’s T20 World Cup loss at the very same venue where they had gone down by 10 wickets. However, they would be playing this tournament without the availabilities of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who have been ruled out due to injuries. Meanwhile, the Indian team would be oozing with confidence heading into this encounter as they have won all the home and away bilateral T20I series this year, and more importantly, the team management has also experimented with various team combinations in the last few months which have turned to be fruitful. The Indians have an upper hand as far as their overall performances throughout this year in the shortest format are concerned, while Pakistan only played a solitary T20I this year, against Australia at home in April, which they lost by three wickets. Without further adieu, here’s a look at India’s predicted XI for their opening encounter against Pakistan Openers- Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul Rohit Sharma (Photo Source: Twitter) Rohit Sharma has blown hot and cold this year in the shortest format. While the ‘Hitman’ has managed to get off to good starts in some games, he has failed to capitalize. Nonetheless, one needs to be aware of the kind of batter he is in the shortest format and is just one innings away from regaining his touch. The India skipper (3487) only needs 11 more runs to surpass New Zealand batter Martin Guptill (3497) for becoming the highest run-getter in T20Is. KL Rahul, on the other hand, returned in action during the away ODI series against Zimbabwe after a groin injury that had ruled him out for more than a couple of months, for which he also underwent successful surgery in Germany. Nonetheless, he failed miserably with the bat and could not showcase impressive performances on that tour. However, the Karnataka cricketer had a dream run in IPL 2022, where he amassed 616 runs from 15 matches, including two centuries. Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rishabh Pant (wk) Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) Virat Kohli will be back on the cricket field after an extended break, and would be eyeing a third straight T20I half-century against Pakistan. Kohli had a dismal tour of England, managing just 12 runs in two T20Is, but he is averaging over 50 in the format despite being out of form for a while. Meanwhile, the game against Pakistan will be Kohli’s 100th T20I appearance. Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as one of India’s backbone in the middle-order even though he was injured twice this year. Yadav has attained his career-best 2nd ranking in the shortest format and would be eyeing the top position in the Asia Cup. The Mumbai cricketer has the ability to single-handedly take the game away from the opposition once set and his quickfire 55-ball 117 against England last month was one of those examples. Rishabh Pant’s performances in T20Is have not been up to the mark this year. While he has played crucial and match-winning knocks in Tests and ODIs, the youngster has not been able to replicate those in the shortest format and would definitely like to change that in the 2022 Asia Cup. Pant will most likely be the wicketkeeper-batter for this contest ahead of veteran Dinesh Karthik. All Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Hardik Pandya has proved to be the Indian team’s valuable asset as an all-rounder in the last few months. He made a successful comeback to the national team in the shortest format after leading the new entrants Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL triumph earlier this year. Apart from leading Gujarat from the front, Pandya also proved his mettle with both bat and ball, scoring 487 runs and registering a match-winning three-wicket haul in the final against the Rajasthan Royals. Ravindra Jadeja might be included in India’s playing XI for his slog-hitting in the middle-order. The southpaw can score some precious runs in the middle and death overs. However, the Gujarat cricketer has not been effective with the ball in hand for a while, and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to rediscover his rhythm. Bowlers: R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ravichandran Ashwin might be preferred over youngster Ravi Bishnoi for this contest, taking the experience factor into consideration, even though the former has not been part of the Indian T20I squad throughout the year after last year’s T20 World Cup. Yuzvendra Chahal has been consistent with the ball in hand in the last few months ever since he enjoyed a successful IPL this summer where he finished as the Purple Cap winner, bagging 27 scalps for Rajasthan Royals. Chahal has now emerged as India’s most-trusted wicket-taker, and he would be expected to maintain consistency in the Asia Cup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in and out of the Indian team in the last couple of years due to frequent injuries and has now fought his way back into the squad by showcasing consistent performances in white-ball cricket over the months. He has the added quality of being an economical bowler and a proven death-over specialist. In the absence of seasoned pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the onus would be on him to spearhead the Indian pace attack. Arshdeep Singh, on the other hand, has proved himself as a very economical bowler in the limited opportunities that he has got so far. Arshdeep is an outstanding death-over bowler with the ability to keep the batters guessing with his accurate lines and lengths. Moreover, he can also stun the famed Pakistan batting lineup with his well-disguised yorkers. Here’s India’s Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh

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Asia Cup 2022: Match 2 - Predicted India Playing XI vs Pakistan

India would be eager to avenge last year's T20 WC loss against Pakistan.

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