IND vs PAK: Preview, Key Matchups and Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
India won the group stage game against Pakistan [PC: Twiiter]
To the delight of cricket fans across the globe, the mother of all battles is back. Yes, you guessed it right. This Sunday will see two arch-rivals India and Pakistan crossing swords against each other in the eighth match of the Asia Cup 2022.
This will be the first game in the Super four stage for both teams. India managed a thrilling five-wicket victory the last team these two giant powerhouses clashed in the group stage.
Skipper Babar Azam's abysmal batting form is slowly becoming a matter of concern for Pakistan. The highest ranked T20I batter has scored just 19 runs in two outings so far and would like to get his mojo back in this all-important encounter.
On the other hand, India will likely persist with their short ball strategy, which worked wonders for them in the group stage game against Pakistan. Opener KL Rahul has been a major disappointment for the Men in Blue so far and would want to get some runs under his belt tomorrow.
Match Details
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Pitch Report: Initially, the surface in Dubai assisted the seamers to the core. The ball moved around; the track had some extra bounce on it. But the pitch has certainly flattened in the last two games, as we have witnessed the batters enjoying their time in the middle. So, we reckon it's going to be a batting beauty and we are all set for a high-scoring affair tomorrow.
Key Match Analytics
India and Pakistan have clashed in 10 T20Is, in which India have the upper hand, winning eight matches.
Highest Active Run Scorer
Virat Kohli: 346 runs in 8 inns, Average: 69.20, Strike Rate: 116.49
Mohammad Rizwan: 122 runs in 2 inns, Average: 122, Strike Rate: 125.77
Highest Active Wicket taker
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 9 wickets in 5 innings, economy: 7.05
Mohammad Nawaz: 3 wickets in 1 inning, economy: 9.00
Key Matchups
KL Rahul vs Naseem Shah
Rahul has been unimpressive so far [PC: Twitter]
Indian opener KL Rahul has been rusty in the middle since his comeback from injury. The dynamic keeper-batter was cleaned up by Naseem Shah in the second ball of the innings in the last game. Naseem has proved his mettle with the new ball. So, it will be interesting to see how Rahul responds to his thunderbolts tomorrow.
Babar Azam vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Babar Azam has had a poor tournament [PC: Twitter]
Just like KL Rahul, this tournament hasn't been a great one for Pakistani skipper Babar Azam. Bhuvneshwar Kumar asked tough questions to Babar and finally dismissed him with a bouncer in the first match. So, his battle with Bhuvneshwar is definitely going to be a cracking one.
Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
Wicket-keeper: Mohammad Rizwan
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Naseem Shah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Captain: Hardik Pandya
Vice Captain: Mohammad Rizwan
 "Debashis Sarangi")
