As India prepares for yet another annihilation of Pakistan in what is expected to be a fierce and edgy Super 4 matchup of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday, captain Suryakumar Yadav will rely heavily on his spin trio.
There have been many difficult build-ups to Indo-Pak men’s cricket matches in the past, but “surface tension” wasn’t as evident as it is now, especially after Suryakumar and his team caused a commotion last Sunday by refusing to shake hands with the competitors.
Handshakes may not be the norm this Sunday as the Indian squad is expected to stick to the policy against the neighbors, despite the fact that Pakistani players and their supporters view the match as a “Grudge Match.”
Captain Suryakumar, who led India’s chase in their seven-wicket victory the previous Sunday, can attest to the fact that Sundays are not often the most laid-back days.
In this tournament, Suryakumar is expected to combine the roles of premier batter, tactical mastermind, and national ambassador – all in one.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir might be a little concerned about Axar Patel’s head injury sustained while attempting to make a catch against Oman, but fielding coach T Dilip calmed concerns by saying he believed the player was OK.
Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh clearly didn’t look the part as little-known Pakistan-born Oman players, 43-year-old Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza, hammered the out-of-synch combo. Surya had to check all the key players in the lineup before the Pakistan game.
However, Jasprit Bumrah, whose presence alone boosts the spirits of his teammates in the starting eleven alongside Varun Chakravarthy, will be playing on Sunday. In the last game, which was inconsequential, both were rested.
The slow bowlers are benefiting from the pitches at the Dubai International Stadium, and it will once again be up to Kuldeep Yadav (who has taken eight wickets in the competition thus far), Axar, and Varun to tip the scales in India’s favor.
There is still time to fly in a Washington Sundar or a Riyan Parag to cover that slot if Axar is declared unfit by this evening, albeit it won’t be a like-for-like replacement.
The current Pakistani team is unexpectedly lacking in quality, particularly in the batting department where none of the batsmen can read the slow bowlers from the hand. Pakistan is known for being an unpredictable team.
The skill of the current group is fairly subpar for a nation that in the past produced champion players like Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Saleem Malik, and Ijaz Ahmed.
Opener Saim Ayub, the left-hander with consecutive ducks, has drawn ridicule for making a greater impact with the ball than the bat.
The joke about the specialist opener, who has taken more wickets in the competition than he has scored, goes, “Saim Ayub had the ambition of becoming Saeed Anwar but he is turning into Saeed Ajmal.”
To everyone’s astonishment, Shaheen Shah Afridi has emerged as the team’s greatest batter. Sahibzada Farhan and Hasan Nawaz are two batters who are trying to hit out of trouble.
Fakhar Zaman, the team’s top batsman, and Shaheen, who wants to bowl a better opening spell against Abhishek Sharma, appear to be the only two players who can keep them in the game right now.
After his strong performance against the UAE in their most recent group league match, there is a greater probability that fast bowler Haris Rauf would be selected on Sunday as opposed to the previous match against India, when Pakistan used left-armer Sufiyan Muqeem as a third spinner.
Despite his scratchy fifty against Oman, Sanju Samson is unlikely to bat at the third spot against Pakistan if right-hander Shubman Gill is dismissed early. It would be captain Suryakumar, who would once more occupy the spot that made him the top batter in the world.
Tilak Varma, who bats left-handed, would bat at number three if Abhishek falls during Powerplay.
Gill’s runs and Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube’s quality batting time haven’t materialized for India yet. However, one can rely on India’s top four to manage the bowlers from Pakistan.
Regardless, Suryakumar and his guys are aware of the appropriate time and degree to silence the sound outside.
Squads:
India: Suyakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim
