3 epic clashes fans are waiting for in the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup match
The Indian team will kickstart their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at Sri Lanka's Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on September 2, 2023. Pakistan have already opened their winning account by thrashing Nepal by 238 runs in the first match of Asia Cup on August 30.
India-Pakistan is the most cherished rivalry in the history of World Cricket and it is equivalent to the Ashes battle between England and Australia. Each match is no less than a final, and emotions run high on both sides of the border.
Moreover, Pakistan team is strong this year, and it currently holds the number 1 spot at the ICC MRF Tyre ODI men’s ranking team. India is at the 3rd spot while the Kangaroos are at the number 2 spot.
As both the teams gear up for an epic battle, fans are interested to see some battles between players.
Here are 3 clashes fans are eager to see.
1. Babar Azam vs Jasprit Bumrah
It would be a spectacle to see when the World’s best batsman plays India’s best medium pacer. Babar Azam is on a hitting spree this year and in the last match against Nepal, he slammed yet another ton. Babar made 151 (131) runs in the opener against Nepal, giving Pakistan a perfect start.
Against him is India’s Jasprit Bumrah, who is returning to the field after recovering from a back injury.
Babar masters cover drives and square cuts, and is adept in picking out gaps against even the best of the bowlers. Bumrah on the other hand, is in a league in himself with those deadly yorkers that frustrate the batters.
Since Bumrah will be returning after a long time, Babar Azam might have a psychological advantage over here as he will already be in momentum.
2. Virat Kohli vs Shaheen Afridi
The second epic battle would be between Virat Kohli, and Pakistan’s eagle boy, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pakistan wouldn’t have forgotten the hammering in their last encounter, last year in the inaugural match of T20 World Cup at Melbourne, when Kohli single-handedly turned the match in India’s favour after hitting back-to-back sixes against Haris Rauf.
However, things against Shaheen won’t be that easy as the left-arm pacer has the ability to bounce the bowl well keeping the pace intact. He also has the ability to reverse-swing the ball, which makes him the only bowler on the team to do so.
The first 2-3 overs between Kohli and Shaeen would be very entertaining to watch as Shaheen is capable of variations with the new ball and his sheen starts withering away as the ball gets old.
But will Kohli or Shubman Gill or Rohit Sharma be able to prolong the deadly bouncers and yorkers for that long? September 2 will tell.
3. Shadab Khan vs Hardik Pandya
The clash of Shadab and Pandya would be great as both of them are aggressive players on the field. In fact, Pandya shot to limelight after a match against Pakistan in 2017 when he smashed Pakistani spinners Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan in the finals. Though India has lost the match, Pandya’s heroic innings stood out.
The right-handed batter is a good hitter of spin bowling and has the ability to loft the ball if it's in his zone.
Shadab on the other hand, is the go-to man of Babar Azam because he has the ability to take wickets at crucial moments of the match. In the last match against Nepal, Shadab decimated the Nepal team, clinching four wickets in his spell.
The leg-spinner though doesn’t turn the bowl well, he can make a batter uncomfortable with his variations.
His encounter against Pandya would be crucial in the India-Pakistan match.