The marquee clash of the Asia Cup is set to be a mouth-watering one.
India and Pakistan do not play each other often enough in the
international circuit thanks to the political tension between the two
countries. A rivalry bound by history is now restricted to tournaments
such as these and ICC events only. The last time the two teams faced off
was in the World Cup in 2015. And before that it was in the Asia Cup in
Sri Lanka in 2014.
The proposed bilateral series between the two sides did not kick off
after the Indian government failed to give the go-ahead. Thus, this
contest gets a little more colour to it off the field. For the players
though, the challenges will be entirely different.
For a lot of the Pakistan players, this will be their first taste of
such a high-pressure game. India are luckier on that count. Only three
from India's squad and only two from the first eleven - Hardik Pandya
and Jasprit Bumrah - have not featured in an India-Pakistan encounter.
For Pakistan the same figure counts up to six.
While the edge of traditional rivalry continues, this particular one
might not have the fierce undertones of previous clashes, but will be an
important one, nevertheless, for both teams.
Pakistan arrived in Bangladesh only a day before their first practice
session. A lot of their players featured in the recently-concluded
Pakistan Super League (PSL) and so will be in touch with the format.
Their challenge will be to adapt to the conditions quick enough. If the
conditions in Mirpur remain the same, they will find it a little easier
to adjust as well, given their pace-heavy attack.
For India it will be about continuing the momentum gathered. They are
not expected to make any changes to the squad that won against
Bangladesh, unless there are injury concerns. One such would be the
fitness of skipper MS Dhoni. He did not take part in the practice
session prior to the game and the reason given was that he needed a bit
of rest. India will probably wait until match day to take a final call.
He played through the first game with back spasms and will probably do
so again, given the momentous occasion.
Pakistan have imported Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Nawaz after their
impressive performances in the PSL. Both of them are likely to find a
spot straightaway in the playing XI. Much of the focus though will
surround Pakistan's pace attack. Foremost amongst them will be Mohammad
Amir, who has had a steady comeback to international cricket. This will
be his first game against India since making a return. No doubt there
will be some fuss surrounding it, but should ease off once the game
starts.
If Pakistan will go with all three left-arm seamers - Wahab Riaz,
Mohammad Irfan and Amir - it would pose the Indian batsmen with an
interesting challenge. Mohammad Sami will be breathing down their neck
as well after doing well in the PSL.
Pakistan's spin attack comprises of mainly all-rounders and they fit
the role in this format. The individual plans will have been done as
well. However the tradition of talk surrounding Pakistan's bowlers
against Indian batsmen continues. This particular match will be even
more interesting given the green nature of the Mirpur track.
For both teams, the bigger picture will be the World T20. While India
have their combination settled, this game will also kick start
Pakistan's preparations for thesame. On paper, they look a formidable
mix with plenty of all-rounders. Their concern will be on zeroing in on
the best middle order possible apart from the spinners.
Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim are pretty similar players, but the
former is likely to get the nod ahead for the clash against India thanks
to his PSL performance.
There is plenty to look forward to as it always is the case with any
cricket match between these two teams. With another such clash coming up
in less than a month, this one should act as an apt dress rehearsal for
the same.
Squads:
India: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah,
Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma,
Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Pawan Negi, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj
Singh, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Parthiv
Patel
Pakistan: Anwar Ali, Khurram Manzoor, Wahab Riaz,
Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Shahid Afridi,
Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad
Sami, Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif
