Following a disappointing start to their title defence, Pakistan travels to Dubai to take on India. Only a win will ensure the men in green’s progression to the next stage of this tournament.
Pakistan’s loss to New Zealand in Karachi has jeopardized its spot in this tournament, and the team will be eager to put on a better performance against their archrivals in this mega clash.
Pakistan Team Preview
If the stakes were not any higher, Pakistan was also hit with the loss of Fakhar Zaman. The swashbuckling batsman was replaced by his former opening partner Imam-ul-Haq. The southpaw has been in a great run of form, scoring a century in one of the warm-up matches and 150+ in a first-class fixture the day he was added to the squad.
It is almost certain that Imam will open the innings and he will be accompanied by Babar Azam, who has been under scrutiny since his performance against New Zealand.
The lack of intent is mainly what he was criticized for – and rightfully so. In his 90-ball knock, Babar ended up playing 51 dot balls. He was also not fully able to take advantage of an off-spinner, having seemingly been troubled by them.
At the start of his career, he played the off-spinners well and scored an average of 51.72 against them, striking at 88.49. But since 2022, that average and strike both have dropped down to 31.80 and 67.65 respectively. It will be interesting to see how he deals with such bowlers tomorrow.
This match is a chance at redemption for Babar and for Pakistan to have any chance of winning this game, the former captain has to play a major role and do what he does best – just score runs. Furthermore, Mohammad Rizwan will return to his position at number 4, where he has enjoyed a healthy record in the recent past. The wicketkeeper captain knows how to perform in crucial matches like these and his captaincy skills need to be at their best tomorrow.
Moreover, Saud Shakeel has been unable to make an impact as an opener and at number 3. However, the southpaw can be handy in spinning conditions, with India naming at least 3 in their lineup. Now, will the management continue to trust him, or would they give either Kamran Ghulam or even Usman Khan an opportunity on the side?
Usman Khan would be a brave call since he played some of his early cricket in UAE and has an extraordinary List-A record, scoring 681 runs at an average of a mammoth 75.66, striking at 117.61 in 12 matches only. These runs also included 1 double century, one century, and 4 fifties.
Kamran Ghulam on the other hand, was also dropped due to a lean patch since the quickfire fifty against South Africa in the 1st ODI.
Khushdil Shah and Agha Salman will surely be keeping their place in the side with the southpaw in particular, being one of the few bright spots in the New Zealand loss.
It was not only the batting that let Pakistan down in the opening match, but it was also the bowling. They conceded 103 in the final 10 overs, with the pace trio combining for 80 runs in the last 6 overs of the innings.
Shaheen again started his spell well but was taken to the cleaners in his final 2-3 overs. Naseem also conceded at more a 6 runs an over but grabbed 2 crucial wickets up top. The third pacer, Haris Rauf was the most expensive on the day, going for 83.
However, the conditions in UAE are such that it would benefit the pacers more, along with the spinners. The Pakistan seamers were seen practicing their inswing during net sessions in Dubai, something which was barely on offer in Karachi.
Being the only full-time spinner in the lineup, Abrar will have a massive job to do, and the Dubai pitch is expected to assist him better as compared to the pitches in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
According to curators, there is not expected to be any dew during this time of the year. Batting does get easier under lights but the ball also begins to seam and swing more during the night – and we all are aware how dangerous Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris can equally be under lights.
Whoever wins the toss would hope to take full advantage of the conditions and Dubai is a place where Pakistan is capable of spinning a surprise.
Before the India-Bangladesh match, out of the 13 ODIs played in Dubai since 2023, 10 have been won by the side chasing and 3 times, by the team batting 1st. Now, Pakistan is aware of the equation to stay alive in this competition – but it will be an uphill task since the men in green have lost their last 5 ODI matches and each was a one-sided affair.
Since the 2011 semi-final in Mohali, in ICC events, Pakistan has won just twice – the 2017 CT final and the thumping victory in 2021.
With all odds stacked against them, Mohammad Rizwan’s side would be eager to make many wrongs, a right in tomorrow’s match.
India Team Preview
The men in blue have a well-settled lineup and are definitive favourites to win the tournament.
Rohit Sharma shows intent in the powerplay and gets the team off to a flying start. Shubman Gill has been in red-hot form since the England ODI series, with KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya making some important contributions in the buildup to this match.
But one player in particular, who has tormented Pakistan numerous times in the past has been out of form for a good period now.
That player happens to be none other than, Virat Kohli. The 36-year-old has scored 137 runs and averaged a mere 22.83 in ODIs since the 2023 ODI World Cup, which includes just 1 fifty.
Unlike Babar’s issues with offspring, Kohli has gotten out to leg spinners in 5 out of those 6 innings – the most recent being Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain.
Now Pakistan does not have a natural leg spinner, but they do have Abrar Ahmed who can spin the bowl both ways and cause trouble to batters. Moving on, Kuldeep, Axar Patel, and Jadeja played against Bangladesh where Axar was the pick of the spinners. The left-hander also bats at number 5 due to how adamant Gautam Gambhir is about having a right-hand-left-hand combination on the pitch.
One of the spinners on the bench is off-spinner, Washington Sundar. Knowing about Babar’s weakness, the men in blue can be tempted to bring in the tall 25-year-old.
Regarding their fast bowling, it was surprising to see Arshdeep Singh’s exclusion. However, the move paid off as Mohammad Shami and Harshit Rana combined for 8 out of 10 wickets, with Shami picking a fifer. Harshit Rana, specifically, has been in good form and made his debut a few months back under Gambhir. He is an intelligent bowler, using his height and ability to bowl different variations to trouble the batter.
As seen in the last two ICC events, Rohit does not like to tinker with his winning combinations and is expected to keep the same team for tomorrow as well.
Predicted lineup for Pakistan vs India
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (c/wk), Agha Salman, Tayyab Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami.
Read More:
