Asia Cup 2018: Super Four: Match 3 - India vs Pakistan - Preview

India may have dominated Pakistan in the group stages game, but a lot will be at stake when both the sides square off against each other in the Super Four encounter of this Asia Cup 2018 in Dubai on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the men in blues have no place to be complacent, and they will not lightly take this game. In their previous match-up, Pakistan was far from at their best. Their batsmen, apart from Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik to an extent, crumbled all too easily, and they got bundled for 162. Then, once Rohit Sharma, the India captain, was allowed to settle in, there was only going to be one outcome.

Pakistan regrouped fast to present a better batting effort against Afghanistan to win the game in the last over. More of that will be expected this time around against India. The real point of concern for Pakistan is fatigue. That game against Afghanistan went down to the wire, which would have been exhausting both mentally and physically.

Furthermore, Abu Dhabi hosted that encounter, and they would have had to make the trip to Dubai the next day. India, meanwhile, has no such concerns, playing all their games in Dubai.

All in all, with the stakes – a spot in the Asia Cup 2018 final – a lot higher, this one should be a nerve-wracking contest.

Key Players

Rohit Sharma (India): The Mumbai batsman hasn’t let captaincy bog him down. He has scored 52 and 83* in his last two outings, but more importantly, has caught the eye with his captaincy as well.

“Every time he has got an opportunity to captain India, he has shown his acumen,” Sunil Gavaskar said. “He has shown how patient he can be and then as a batsman, the added responsibility, only makes him better.”

Babar Azam (Pakistan): How Pakistan’s batting fares will go a long way in deciding this clash, and that makes Azam crucial to their chances. He has scored 33, 47, and 66 in Pakistan’s three matches so far.

Coming in at one-drop, he will play a significant role in nipping out any potential implosion in the bud. The Indian bowlers will want his wicket quickly.

Pitch & Conditions

The dry heat will once again test the players’ limits – temperatures are likely to touch 40 degrees Celsius. The pitches at the Asia Cup 2018 have so far assisted spinners plenty, and there’s nothing to suggest will change.

Predicted XI

India

Ravindra Jadeja fit into the spot left vacant by Hardik Pandya, like a dream. There should be no team changes from the emphatic win over Bangladesh.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan

Pakistan has a few calls to take before they take the field against India in the Super Four clash of this Asia Cup 2018. Young Shaheen Afridi has as many ODI wickets from one game that Amir has in his last eight outings.

India’s batting unit poses a different threat than Afghanistan’s, but the 18-year-old should pip the senior pro.

Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Faheem Ashraf/Haris Sohail, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan/Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi

Match Prediction

It is difficult to predict this kind of high-voltage encounters considering both the sides are even-stevens as far as the team combination is concerned. However, going by the recent forms, Pakistan suffered a humiliating loss to India in the Group stages in this Asia Cup 2018.

Moreover, Rohit Sharma & Co have been dominant throughout this series while the Green Caps had a tough fight with Afghanistan.

Although it is tough to predict a winner, India will have the edge over Pakistan going into this encounter.