Asia Cup 2018: Super Four, Match 3 - India vs Pakistan - Toss Report

Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first against India in the third match of the Super Four of Asia Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

Here is what the captains said:

Rohit Sharma:

“If we continue to bowl the way we have, and today will be no different. If we can repeat the feats of the last two games, I’ll be a happy captain. I don’t think about stats when I play. It’s important for me to get my team off to a good start. It is important to not lose early wickets, and if the runs come for me then that is in the best interest of the team.

“I’m happy with the wristspinners. They’re still learning, and they know what is expected of them. It is important to come out with some good tactical nous when the batsmen go after them.Sometimes the opposition has to be appreciated for the way they play Yuzi and Kuldeep. We’re going in with the same team today.”

Sarfraz Ahmed:

“We would like to bat. Looks like a flat wicket so we would like to put a good score on the board today. Amir will play today, and Fakhar has been asked to dig in there. Haris is in for Shadab and Amir is in for Usman Shenwari.”

Preview:

The two arch-rivals have already met once in the tournament and it was India who came out on top in that game. The Men in Blue had thoroughly dominated the game.

Bowling first, the Rohit Sharma-led side had bowled out Pakistan for just 162 before chasing it down with utmost ease.

Both the teams are entering the contest on the back of contrasting wins. While India completely blew away Bangladesh, Pakistan had to word hard to beat Afghanistan.

Going by current form, the Men in Bkue will be the favorites to win the game. However, the cricketing world is well aware of Pakistan’s knack of coming up with an outstanding performance every now and then and who knows it better than India after last year’s loss in the Champions Trophy final.

Playing elevens:

India:

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

Pakistan:

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w/c), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi