India and Pakistan face off in a blockbuster clash in the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. Virat Kohli-led India warmed up for the tournament with victories over England and Australia while Pakistan beat defending champions West Indies in their first warm-up game before losing to South Africa in their second. The game will be the sixth clash between the two teams in the T20 World Cup.
The pressure will be on Kohli and Co. as they seek to maintain their perfect World Cup record against Pakistan. Kohli, for whom this will be the last assignment as captain of the country’s T20I side, has already warned his teammates of the quality of the opposition.
💬 💬 We are confident in terms of execution of our plans.
Captain @imVkohli on #TeamIndia's approach ahead of the #T20WorldCup opener against Pakistan. #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/BiMug1gfUh
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 23, 2021
“Pakistan are strong, you have to play your best cricket against them every time. They have players who are game-changers. We definitely have to bring our A-game against Pakistan,” Kohli said in the pre-match virtual press conference on Friday.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam asked his side to forget the past, “To be honest, what has passed is beyond us,” he said.
The final training session before the start of Pakistan's #T20WorldCup campaign tomorrow.#WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/u2T7X32cLJ
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 23, 2021
“We want to use our ability and confidence on the day of the match so that we can get a better result. Records are meant to be broken,” he added.
Match Details
India vs Pakistan, Match 16, Super 12 Group 1
Venue:Â Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Date & Time: October 24rd, at 7:30 PM IST
Pitch Report
Dew is likely to play a role in the second innings. Whoever wins the toss is likely to bowl first as a result. The pitch is expected to be good for batting but the seamers have had some joy in Dubai in recent times and it is unlikely to be a really high-scoring game.
Average score:Â 143 (62 T20Is in Sharjah)
Record of Chasing teams: Won – 27, Lost – 24, Tied – 1
India vs Pakistan – Predicted Playing XI
India:Â KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishab Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarty, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneswhar Kumar
Pakistan: Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ail, Imad Wasim, Mohammed Rizwan, Mohammed Hafeez, Shabad Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf.
Head-to-head
Overall
Matches- 8, India – 6, Pakistan – 1, Tied- 1
In T20 World Cups
Matches- 5, India – 4, Pakistan – 0, Tied – 1
Batsman to watch
Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Babar Azam has been stupendous for Pakistan over the years, especially in the T20 format. Earlier this year, he also scored a century against South Africa. Along with Mohammad Rizwan, he has made opponents struggle at the top of the order. Against India, Babar needs to be on top of his game as the Men in Blue have a power-packed bowling unit.
Bowler to watch
Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Jasprit Bumrah was in stupendous form for the Mumbai Indians in the 2021 edition of the IPL. The pacer is known for hitting the right channels and absorbing pressure in crunch moments. In the warm-up games, he looked at his best and must be raring to go. If he finds his rhythm, Pakistan could be in for a lot of trouble.
India vs Pakistan – Match Prediction – Who will win the match?
India and Pakistan matches have always produced thrilling contests and Sunday’s T20 World Cup encounter is expected to be the same. While the men in greens boast a domitable record in the UAE conditions, Virat Kohli & Co is known for bringing out their best in big games.
While it will be a 50-50 encounter, India are likely to come out as the winners in the high-voltage clash.
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