IND vs PAK Preview: India out to avenge World Cup defeat

Team India is set to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in both teams’ first match of the 2022 T20 Asia Cup on August 28 (Sunday) at the Dubai International Stadium. It’s the same venue where India conceded a 10-wicket loss at the hands of the Men in Green during the 2021 T20 World Cup.

However, a lot has changed since then with the Indian leadership in the hands of Rohit Sharma. Both teams are also without their senior pacers in the competition. Both Shaheen Afridi and team India express pacer Jasprit Bumrah have suffered injuries and have been ruled out of the competition.

While the Indian bowling lineup is likely to have Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Hardik Pandya, Pakistan might opt for Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani as their pace attack. Both teams’ batting orders look strong as well and it is expected to be a high-scoring encounter between two top international teams.

The wicket at Dubai International Stadium is expected to be good for batting with both teams looking to have a bowl first and chase the total later on. A score of 170+ runs can be expected as a par score on the wicket.

Here’s the probable playing XI of India vs Pakistan

India

Playing his 100th T20I game, team India’s former skipper Virat Kohli will want to play a crucial role in the upcoming match and win the game for his side.

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Pakistan:

Skipper Babar Azam will play a crucial role for his side in the upcoming match against India. The right-handed batter is in sublime touch and will want to play an impactful knock against the arch-rivals.

Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz Dahani.