Pakistan and India will face each other in Dubai on Sunday in what is expected to end up as a down-the-wire game.
Match preview:
This is unlike any other game, everyone knows that. Pakistan and India have been meeting almost every ICC event, and that makes sense too, given how lucrative this game is for the organizers. People view this game in record-breaking numbers and the hype surrounding it, only makes it better. But there is plenty at stake for Pakistan in this game. They lost their first game against New Zealand, which implies they will need to win all their next if they wish to get through to the knockout stages. It is cruel, we agree but it is the only way out for the hosts.
Pakistan have some lingering issues with both bat and ball. Fakhar Zaman’s injury ruled him out so Imam-ul-Haq will open in his place but will Pakistan think of sending someone else to open with Imam instead of Babar Azam, whose lean patch is constantly stretching? He scored a fifty in the last game and could be expected to do better this time too but it will once again be a risk no less to send him to the top.
Pakistan have Usman Khan who can take one of the opening positions, but it is likely they will go against selecting him. The hosts’ pace-bowling attack needs to step up because there is no other way of survival against India.
India, unlike their archrivals, would be more relaxed right now, knowing that they do not have to bet all they have on this game. They defeated Bangladesh in the opener and are familiar with the Dubai surface, so that already puts them in a better position than Pakistan. However, they had some problems chasing in the first game, which points towards the hidden flaws in the batting unit.
Probable XIs:
Pakistan:
Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), Salman Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
India:
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Head-to-Head Record:
Pakistan have a better record in the ODI games both teams have played against each other. Out of 135 one-day matches, Pakistan has won 73, while India has won 57.
Pitch and weather report:
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) was supposed to be slow in this tournament and thats how it behaved in India’s clash against Bangladesh. A similar surface can be expected this time too. The weather would be pleasant, without any dew factor tweaking the results.
Prediction:
It sure feels like India’s game but if Pakistan don’t want that to transpire, they will need to run the hard yards before it’s too late.
Where to watch:
India: Jio Hotstar,
Pakistan: Myco, Tapmad, and Tamasha app
UAE and MENA: STARZPLAY
USA and Canada: Streaming on Willow by Cricbuzz app (Hindi coverage available)
Caribbean: ESPN Play Caribbean app
Australia: PrimeVideo
New Zealand: SkyGo app.
South Africa and sub-Saharan territories: SuperSport and SuperSport App
Bangladesh: Nagorik TV
Afghanistan: ATN
Sri Lanka: Maharaja TV
