Dubai: The moment has arrived for the biggest clash in world cricket, as India and Pakistan face each other today (from 8:00 PM) in the T20 Asia Cup.
With legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja having retired from T20s, their absence will certainly be felt in this high-voltage contest. However, under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian side featuring experienced players such as Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah along with young talented cricketers will look to continue the tradition of defeating Pakistan in major tournaments.
Pakistan’s team, missing seniors like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, will face a tough test against the Men in Blue under the leadership of Salman Ali Agha.
History favors the chasing side
Since 2014, out of the eight T20s played between India and Pakistan, seven have been won by the team batting second. Three of those successful chases happened in Dubai.
Hardik Pandya – the No.1 wicket-taker
Among the current players from both sides, Hardik Pandya has taken the most wickets. He has picked up 13 wickets in six T20 matches against Pakistan.
Pitch Report
The Dubai pitch is not typically high-scoring. In the 36 T20 matches played here over the last two years, the average first-innings run rate has been 7.7. During this period, fast bowlers have taken more wickets (277 out of 441). However, spinners have had the better economy rate (7.03 compared to 8.36). There is no chance of rain, but the heat will certainly play a role.
Probable Playing XIs
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pakistan: Salman Agha (captain), Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed.
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