The last time India played Pakistan; the Men in Blue suffered a 10-wicket defeat at the T20 World Cup 2021. Will Rohit Sharma's men settle scores with Babar Azam's team in their Asia Cup 2022 encounter?
When India prepares to settle the score with Pakistan in the pivotal Asia Cup T20 2022 encounter in Dubai on Sunday, a skipper with a new batting philosophy and a master batter standing at a crossroads, trying to reinvent himself, will aim to construct a new story.
The two cornerstones of India's white-ball team for the past ten years, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, now well aware of their position and what needs to be done to reverse the situation after suffering a rude awakening during the T20 World Cup ten months ago at the same location.
While Kohli will use it as the ideal opportunity to regain his form after a difficult period in the past few years, Rohit will be eager to showcase his ultra-aggressive batting style against the Asian titans. There would also be a more comprehensive picture, which would be to organise the core lineup for the T20 World Cup in Australia by the conclusion of this competition.
In the last meeting, India played Pakistan; they didn't know how much Shaheen Shah Afridi had improved. The result was a 10-wicket defeat. Afridi's two-over opening session during the last T20 World Cup start caused a lot of talks, and India's former team management did take some heat for their antiquated batting strategy in the shortest form of the game. There have been concerns about whether the top order's uniformity with three right-handers makes it simple for a skilled left-arm paceman to raise red flags.
Afridi won't be available on Sunday because of a knee issue, preventing him from bending it back into the top three right-handers from India. The top order has remained the same since that disaster in Dubai, despite all the experiments by coach Rahul Dravid.
With their enthusiastic approach, the Rishabh Pant and Rohit duo showed a lot of promise, and Suryakumar Yadav at the top appeared scary with his all-around strokes. Even if Deepak Hooda was a daring opener against Ireland, the experience would take precedence coming into a big game when Kohli and KL Rahul are both available.
KL Rahul rejoined the team in the new setup following surgery and a COVD-19-related layoff. In 2022, he hasn't participated in a single international T20 match. In Kohli's example, the total is four after a solid fifty against a weak West Indies assault. In the interim, Rohit has produced some charming little hits, but more significantly, he has adjusted his batting approach to suit the squad's needs. Will Rahul and Kohli be able to replicate this? That will continue to be a significant question.
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However, the Suryakumar, Pant, and Hardik Pandya trio's performance between overs 10 and 20 will be crucial. With their explosive power, the trio might be able to destroy the Pakistani attack without Afridi, with Dinesh Karthik, the projected finisher, likely sitting out.
Babar Azam is particularly unique compared to other legendary Pakistanis who have captained the national team over the years. Babar, a player who is as much about method as he is about talent, has brought a steadiness that has generally worked over the previous two years since he assumed leadership. He forms a powerful top duo with Mohammed Rizwan, but neither has a strike rate of more than 130. Will it work when they bat first? It worked beautifully when they chased a low total in Dubai last year.
Fakhar Zaman, who bats third, also adds stability, but the other batters haven't demonstrated enough consistency. Even though they are talented players, the flashy Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, and Haider Ali have few consistent runs to their name at the international level.
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If Pakistan's loss of Afridi is a significant setback, India's loss of Jasprit Bumrah is no less of a shock. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be joined by youthful death overs specialist Arshdeep Singh in his absence (back injury) and the absence of dependable T20 spinner Harshal Patel (rib-cage injury).
Arshdeep's abilities and temperament under pressure will be tested during the game. The arrival of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja does improve the balance. However, the sticking point will be whether Rohit and interim head coach VVS Laxman choose extra spinner Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravi Bishnoi over quick-bowler Avesh Khan, who has the potential to be wasteful and lethal at the same time. This competition attempts to surpass the last one in quality.