Big picture
The teams trained with a glint in their eyes. The media swarmed
around them, hoping to pick up on something; anything that can be used
to enhance coverage. Smartly-dressed security personnel were out on
patrol; ten of them to one player from either XI. No one wanted to slip
up and everyone was excited. India-Pakistan cricket was in the air.
As has happened in the past, political tension between the two
countries had sidelined a bilateral series that was supposed to take
place in December 2015. So here in Bangladesh they meet and add to a
series of one-off contests dating back to the 2013 Champions Trophy in
England. The last time India and Pakistan played a bilateral series was
in 2012-13 - two T20Is and three ODIs.
There is no shortage of emotion and expectation from fans around the
world, even without the lure of an Asia Cup trophy. It's a little harder
to gauge the pulse of the players themselves though. Virat Kohli was
democratic. "There is a lot of hype, which is exciting for the people.
But on the field it's the same as playing any other team." And Shoaib
Malik made the average person feel closer to the team. "People from both
countries enjoy this encounter and they want their team to win. The
cricketers are the same, they give their best and enjoy the contest a
lot." On some level, it seems Saturday may just be a bit of sparring
bout before the main event at the World T20.
Form guide
(last five completed matches)
India WWWLW
Pakistan LLWWW
Watch out for
Sarfraz Ahmed is the kind of batsman that leaves an impression. He is
plucky, inventive, excellent against spin and immensely competitive. In
fact, a genial game of sepak takraw - a Southeast Asian sport also
called kick volleyball - at training in Fatullah became comically
intense and Sarfraz had a fine time refuting every line call made by the
referee. His combative nature stems from a strong will to win and
Pakistan will benefit from that. Fun fact: he has played three ODIs
against India but never once batted against them.
It's been a while since a fast bowler generated as much excitement as
Jasprit Bumrah has. The last one was perhaps Mohammed Shami, when he
reverse swung West Indies into oblivion in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell
series. With that unusual action and that uncanny knack for hustling the
batsman for pace, India will have strong hopes to punch a few big holes
into the opposition line-up.
Team news
MS Dhoni and Ashish Nehra were given time off from training in
Fatullah on Friday. It seems the back spasms that troubled the captain
haven't completely died down. Dhoni had said it had been "difficult"
convincing the team management to let him play the Asia Cup opener.
Perhaps the weight of an India-Pakistan game might just persuade him to
stand his ground again.
India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit
Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7
MS Dhoni (capt & wk)/Parthiv Patel, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin,
10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Ashish Nehra
Pakistan are rife with fast bowlers. Mohammad Sami is back again,
Mohammad Amir looks like he's back for good, Mohammad Irfan doesn't
spare his own batsmen of the discomfort a seven-foot quick can cause,
Wahab Riaz loves a fight and Anwar Ali can be excellent with the new
ball. All of them trained under Waqar Younis and Azhar Mahmood's
watchful eyes. Even the captain Shahid Afridi agreed the game would be a
contest between his bowlers and India's batsmen.
Pakistan (probable): 1 Sharjeel Khan, 2 Mohammad
Hafeez, 3 Umar Akmal, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Imad Wasim, 6 Sarfaraz Ahmed
(wk), 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Anwar Ali/Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Wahab Riaz,
10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad Irfan
Pitch and conditions
The pitches for the Fatullah qualifiers were brilliant for batting.
The ball came on nicely and the bounce was true. Mirpur has also been
similar, except for the fact that early on it has also provided sideways
movement. Light showers are forecast for the morning, but they
shouldn't impact the match.
Stats and trivia
Pakistan have only four players from the XI that faced India last in a
T20I - Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal.
India have nine - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh
Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar
Kumar.
Quotes
"It plays a huge part. If any individual knows he has the backing
of his captain and the management, that's when he opens up and tries to
express himself and gets that performance out."
India batsman Rohit Sharma highlights the effect consistency in selection has on a player
"I think for me the Asia Cup and the World Cup is more important than my retirement and I am focusing on that at the moment."
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi lays out his priorities
