India decimated Pakistan last Sunday, but the match has remained in the headlines for more about what happened after the game. The Indian team led by Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands, Surya also made some political statements post match, Pakistan wanted the match referee Andy Pycroft to be removed after all this. They threatened a boycott, and nearly did it as well, with the game against UAE starting an hour later than planned. And after all that drama, they found themselves in a terrible position against UAE in the first innings, having to really sweat it out to make it out of the group stage. And here we are again, back where it all began! It's India vs Pakistan on Super Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
What's on the line here for Pakistan?
Firstly, it's like a new tournament now. All teams start the Super 4s with no points, no matches and a neutral NRR. So whatever happened on the 14th is now irrelevant on the day. In cricketing terms, it's obviously important for both teams to ensure that they get this round off to a winning start, because one loss could make the road to the final much tougher.
But for Pakistan, it's more than just cricketing things on the line. To whatever has happened in the past week, this is their chance to give a reply with ball and bat. India might be a far more skilled side, they might look more settled, they might have momentum on their side but for Pakistan, losing tomorrow is not an option. It's a chance for the entire Pakistan team to come out of this episode as cricketing heroes in the country, because the match will absolutely not be played under normal temperatures, and it's not the Dubai weather we're talking about here.
Who's made an entry into the Pakistan camp in Dubai?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has brought in Dr. Raheel, a sports psychologist the team. According to media reports, team sources claim that his sessions will be focused on helping cricketers stay mentally strong, focused and positive, especially when facing intense pressure on the field.
Furthermore, reports also claimed that the Pakistan batsmen accepted the responsibility for their failure in their earlier match and acknowledged the need to rotate strike and not to let pressure build.
Pakistan had also once again, like the game against UAE, cancelled their pre-match press conference which takes place a day before the match. The idea might be to keep the players focused on the game under these extraordinary circumstances and block the outside noise.
How's the form of these two teams?
Pakistan obviously had that must-win game against UAE, the hype of which was intensified by the uncertainty surrounding it, but Pakistan were on the back foot after that game eventually started following a one hour delay. When Pakistan were 110/7 in the first innings, Pakistan fans would have been starting to prepare themselves for the worst but fortunately for them, Shaheen Shah Afridi played another incredible cameo to take them to a much safer 146/9, which proved to be out of reach for the UAE.
India on the other hand, had a dead rubber against Oman in Abu Dhabi yesterday. They had rested their premium bowlers in Bumrah and Varun, and scored 189/8 in the first innings, with a focus on providing their batsmen some time out in the middle, as captain Suryakumar Yadav did not come out to bat at all. In reply, Oman played surprisingly well scoring 167/4, even negotiating and attacking the regular bowlers in Arshdeep, Harshit, Kuldeep and Pandya excessively well apart from the part time options that India used.
Pakistan's last 5 T20Is (most recent first): W L W W W
Who's the injury concern for India?
The glue that holds the Indian lineup together, Axar Patel hit his head on the ground while trying to take Hammad Mirza's catch from mid on in the 15th over of Oman's innings. India's fielding coaching, T Dilip suggested post match that Axar was fine, but with only a day of rest between games, Axar's availability remains uncertain. If he is unavailable, it would be a big blow for India, as they might have to not only let go of the three spinner strategy, but also might have to decrease their batting depth. Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar are part of the non-travelling reserves if India choose to fly them in to Dubai.
Head-to-head between the teams
In T20 Asia Cups: India 3-1 Pakistan
In T20Is in Dubai: Pakistan 2-2 India
Players to watch out for
In the Oman game, Shah Faisal in the second over went right through the defences of opener Shubman Gill before causing problems for Sanju Samson in the right areas. Pakistan have a big, tall, left arm fast bowler, who in the past has created big impact against India, and Pakistan will be banking on Shaheen Shah Afridi to set the right tone in this big game. He will also be raring to get one back at Abhishek Sharma, who took him down in the group stage clash. He is also making some blistering contributions in the lower order, and Pakistan will hope for him to continue in that fashion if the need arises.
Kuldeep Yadav has put in incredible performances against Pakistan every single time, and last Sunday was no different with 3-18 from 4 as he along with Varun and Axar absolutely choked the Pakistan batting lineup through the middle. Across white ball formats, he has taken 18 wickets in 7 innings at an economy rate of just 3.90 against the green machine, and India would be hoping for their spin trio to continue dominating through the middle phase of the game.
Probable Playing XIs
Other than the uncertainty surrounding Axar Patel's availability, there is almost no doubt that India would revert back to their starting XI with three spinners in it. However in case they need to make a forced change, they might have to let go of a spin option along with some batting depth.
India XI (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel/Harshit Rana/Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
Pakistan's combination and planning is so messed up right now that one just can't take a certain guess on their probable combination. Multiple media reports have claimed that Pakistan could make around 2 changes, along with a shuffling in the batting order, including a replacement of Hassan Nawaz with Hussain Talat
Pakistan XI (probable): Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Muhammad Haris (wk), Salman Ali Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah/Faheem Ashraf, Muhammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
Pitch and conditions
Spin has been extremely successful in Dubai, more so than Abu Dhabi, and tomorrow should be no different. So far, dew has not been too much of a problem.
Asia Cup Super 4s complete schedule
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