Clash of Titans: India, Pakistan encounter in Asia Cup today

The biggest showcase of the Asia Cup 2022 is on the edge when arch-rivals Pakistan and India will come face-to-face at the Dubai International Stadium today at 7pm

Both teams are long-time arch rivals and their competition is measured as one of the most intense cricket rivalries known throughout the world.

Given the political situation between the neighbours, the two sides have not played a bilateral series since 2012 and Sunday’s match is the first time they meet since October last year. The last time they faced off in a Test series was 2007.

Matches between the two ignite great fervour but have also defused military tensions between the two nations, which have fought four wars since independence from the British rule in 1947.

Recently pictures and videos of Pakistan captain Babar Azam and India superstar Virat Kohli meeting on the sidelines of a practice session in Dubai went viral.

Here is the brief History of India Vs Pakistan at Asia Cup

What’s the head-to-head record?

Pakistan-India cricket match has been estimated to attract up to billions of viewers around the globe. India and Pakistan have played nine T20s with the former winning seven, including the World T20 final in 2007.

This is the sides’ first meeting since the T20 World Cup match in Dubai last year when Pakistan romped home by 10 wickets, the side’s first win over India in any World Cup match.

Who else is out?

Pakistan also lost Mohammad Wasim to injury.  Hasan Ali – who was initially dropped from the side named for the Asia Cup – was recalled as replacement.

A relief for Pakistan, meanwhile, would be the absence of Indian fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah who misses out through injury.

Bed News For #India & #Pakistan
Cricket fans 😭#AsiaCup2022 #JaspritBumrah #ShaheenShahAfridi pic.twitter.com/M5Uu2xMzSF

— Indian Cricket Team (@Teamindia_fans) August 20, 2022

Meanwhile the Pakistan vs India vs Asia Cup 2022 Playing XI (Probables)- Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani.

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Rohit Sharma (India): “The mood in the camp is buzzing. It will be a challenge to play against Pakistan without a doubt. We do talk about our losses, that’s how we improve as a team. That loss [in Dubai last year] did hurt us at that point, but I think it’s been a while since that game has been played. We learn from our mistakes. For now, it’s a fresh start for us and obviously, the team is coming out of playing a lot of T20 cricket. We will not think too much about what happened in October, that was a long time back.”

Babar Azam (Pakistan): “No heat at all [between the two sides]. It’s normal and we have to adjust to everything as a professional. Every match is important for me and it is my responsibility as captain that I give my 100 percent. Injuries are part of the team. We have a good bench strength and we have a young battery of fast bowlers who have performed well and I have belief in them.”

©️ meets ©️#AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/OgnJZpM9B1

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 27, 2022

3 talking points before Pakistan-India clash

Here are the three talking points before the two favourite teams meet in the 2022 Asia Cup.

Pakistan’s pace battery has been heavily reliant on left-arm fast-bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi since his arrival on the international stage.

Some are calling it lack of load management, others just bad luck as Shaheen has been left out of Asia Cup due to a knee injury, which he sustained during fielding against Sri Lanka in Tests.

Whatever the case, come the India match on Sunday, Pakistan will feel his absence as they weren’t even able to replace him with a left-arm pacer, one of Rohit Sharma and co’s biggest weaknesses.

The 22-year-old, right-arm pacer Mohammad Hasnain was picked to replace him over all-rounder Hasan Ali, but young all-rounder Mohammad Wasim Jr’s injury meant Hasan was asked to join the squad at the last minute.

Indian batting star Virat Kohli has lost his Midas touch, which saw him lose captaincy to Rohit Sharma in all three formats, but if there is one opposition that he likes to score runs against, it is Pakistan.

Even in the 10-wicket loss to Pakistan at last year’s T20 World Cup, he was India’s top-scorer in the match.

Kohli met with Shaheen on the sidelines of practice, where the Pakistani pacer was heard saying ‘we’re praying for to you regain your form’. Though it was a great gesture from one cricketing prodigy to a veteran of the game, Shaheen in his heart wouldn’t want his prayer to come to fruition during the Asia Cup, or at least against Pakistan.

But class is permanent and form is temporary will prove true once again, and Kohli will start finding the middle of his bat and pile up centuries. If is not the question here, just when.

While a large amount of focus is set on the Pakistan-India clash, there are others eyeing the Asia Cup title too.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and minnows Afghanistan and Hong Kong are also a part of the six-team event, where the T20 format allows anyone to take the game away within the span of a few balls.

One good day for Hong Kong can spoil the party for Pakistan or India in Group A. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s spin attack can wreak havoc on Bangladesh or Sri Lanka to halt their progress to the Super Four stage.

Pakistan have confidence on their side courtesy recent wins, but apart from nearly-always in-form Babar Azam, no other batter has shown consistency in run-scoring.

Thus, the Men in Green will face to tread carefully if they want to make it to the final of the Asia Cup and win a third trophy. They’ll have to come up with game plans against other teams too, apart from their perennial rivals India.

For India, it is just the case of who wins the match for them on a given day. With a plethora of match-winners in their midst, be it in batting or bowling, they’re the top pick to add an eighth Asia Cup title to their trophy case.