PREVIEW - INDIA VS PAKISTAN, ASIA CUP, 2022

A test of India's commitment to chaos

by   •  Last updated on
India will be testing their full strength batting order
India will be testing their full strength batting order © Getty

The Overview:

Indian batting's renaissance has arrived at a moment of reckoning. Time and effort have been meticulously spent in achieving a do-over since suffering a passive World Cup campaign - incidentally in UAE - last October. Starting Sunday, there's a chance of trialing it in a multi-team event for the first time. An opposition that calls UAE home, and barely loses there, should serve as a good starting point for India to gauge if this 180 degree batting transformation is likely to end their 15-year-long T20 World Cup trophy drought later this year.

In the last 10 months, India have improved their batting returns in each phase of the T20 innings, embracing the risks that come with the rewards of not playing conservatively, and now have the chance of committing to this chaos approach with a full-strength top-order. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli return from their respective breaks, giving VVS Laxman-Rohit Sharma duo a big call to make at the first step of this campaign. India have a 5-6-7 finishing axis of Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja while Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant have served as potent floaters, but this plan could undergo a tweak with their return to full-strength and an indicator of what the batting pecking order looks like.

For Pakistan, all concerns of rhythm and dilemma of selections are vis-a-vis their bowling. Shaheen Afridi's ouster from the tournament due to injury has already hamstrung Pakistan against an opposition that struggled to cope with the left-hander in past encounters. Now they're without Mohammad Wasim Jr. due to a training session injury.

Hasan Ali is back in the squad, but wasn't originally picked following an underwhelming year with the ball, and in Shahnawaz Dahani and Naseem Shah, Pakistan have two quicks with a combined experience of 2 T20Is. Babar Azam needs to be accurate with his left-armer-less bowling combinations, while leggie Shadab Khan too needs to hit the ground running in what will be his first T20I appearance since December 2021.

When: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2022 Group A 2nd Match; 06:00 PM Local time, 07:30 PM IST

Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium

What to expect: The impact of dew, that messes with teams that have to bowl second. India however, have trained for such an eventuality by choosing to bat first whenever possible since they last played there. In 16 T20Is after the 2021 World Cup, India have won 12 and lost just 3 in 16 games where they've batted first.

Head to head: In Asia Cups, India have a superior 8-5 win-loss record against Pakistan. Since 2010, India have won five of the six Asia Cup meetings between the two sides.

Team watch:

India

Injury/Unavailability: No Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah in India's squad due to injuries. No other absentees from those picked.

Tactics & match-ups: 12 of Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 20 T20I wickets this year have come in the PowerPlay. It's an ability India will hope to use against a side with such a glaring gulf in quality between the top-3 and the middle-order - an average of 42.35 and 15.59 respectively since January 2021. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have scored 1000-plus T20I runs since January 2021, and breaching that opening stand should be on top of India's bowling agendas.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

Pakistan

Injury/Unavailability: Mohammad Wasim Jr. suffered a side strain while bowling in a training session, ruling him out of the tournament. Hasan Ali has been brought in as a replacement.

Tactics & match-ups: In the absence of Shaheen, Babar needs to be smart with his fields in the face of a gung-ho Indian batting side. The big dimensions of the Dubai stadium should be put to use smartly, particularly in the PowerPlay overs, where India have hit 71 sixes in 37 innings since January 2021. To put the amount of risk-taking in perspective, Pakistan have hit just 30 of them (in 10 innings fewer) in this period. Based on where Rishabh Pant bats, timing the introduction of leggies Shadab and Usman Qadir will also be key.

Probable XI: Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah/Shahnawaz Dahani

Did You Know:

- Pakistan have lost only one of the 17 T20Is they've played in UAE - against Australia in 2021 T20 World Cup semifinal

- Virat Kohli has struggled for form, but boasts a fine record against Pakistan in multi-team T20I tournaments with scores of 78*, 36*, 49, 55*, 57 since T20 World Cup of 2012

What They said:

"Even if dew is a factor, we've played enough cricket here in the last few years to understand what we need to do as a group and as individuals as well. So I think either way we should be prepared to counter whatever is in front of us." - Rohit Sharma

"Injuries are a part of the game and we have to accept that. We trust our young bowlers who have consistently played well. Shaheen is one of the best bowlers and his aggression is unparalleled. He is the one who leads the bowling unit. So we will surely miss him." - Babar Azam

ShareTweet

RELATED STORIES

COMMENTS

Move to top
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com