Xtra Time Web Desk: India will face Pakistan for the 2nd time in the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday, 4th September. Just a week has passed and now this arch rivalry is back once again in the super 4 stage.
In the eliminatory stage, India has won both the games, one against Pakistan by 5 wickets and another against Hong Kong by 40 runs. The in-form Ravindra Jadeja’s knee injury that made him ruled out from the tournament, left the middle order a bit shaky. Axar Patel is the new replacement. In the last match against Pakistan, Jadeja was promoted to number 4 in order to maintain the left-right batting combination. For Sunday’s match Rishabh Pant might get a chance in playing XI. KL Rahul’s slow innings against Hong Kong also kept the team worried.
The positive signs are the comeback of Virat Kohli in form after a long break and Hardik Pandya’s consistency as an all-rounder. For Sunday’s high-octane match, Deepak Hooda can get a chance in playing XI. Young pacer Avesh Khan was too expensive in his last match against Hong Kong but Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowled excessive well in both the matches. Ravichandran Ashwin might get included in place of Avesh Khan.
On the other hand, Pakistan played an incredible cricket on Friday against Hong Kong after their first defeat and qualified in the Super 4 followed by India. For Pakistan, Babar Azam’s poor score in back to back matches can be a growing concern, but their bowlers have the potential to snatch the game away from their opponent.
So far in the on going Asia Cup 2022 Tournament, Pakistan spinners gained 10 out of 15 wickets whereas Indian pacers got 13 of their 14 wickets.
India’s Probable Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Deepak Hooda/Axar Patel/Rishabh Pant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan/Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Pakistan’s Probable Playing XI:
Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani.
Pitch Report
Although Dubai International Stadium Cricket is an average-scoring ground, the last time India scored 192/2 against Hong Kong on this same pitch. This will be the 5th match of Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In the previous India-Pakistan match, pacers got more advantages compared to spinners. Till now, on this pitch whichever team won the toss elected to field first.
Match Details at a glance:
Asia Cup 2022, Super 4
Date: 4th September, 2022 (Sunday)
Match: India vs Pakistan
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, UAE
Toss: 7:00 PM