India VS Pakistan: The Battle of Gargantuan Proportions

Finally, after waiting for a long time, India has the opportunity to take revenge for the humiliating Champions Trophy final loss they had encountered last year. Although, we need to be mindful of Virat Kohli's absence this time around...

Champions Trophy 2017 - Final

Nothing in international cricket even comes in close proximity to an Indo-Pak confrontation in terms of sentiments, intensity, and passion we eyewitness on the field. And, with both the teams not competing in bilateral series anymore, a contest in between both the sides is eagerly looked forward to by cricketing fans all over the globe.

India: The Defending Champions

Virat Kohli has been rested, and the onus will be on Rohit Sharma to endeavor to lead the side to another Asia Cup title. 

Strengths: As usual, even in the unavailability of Virat, it is India's batting, which will be spearheaded by Rohit Sharma, that is their biggest strength. They possess a quality top-order, that comprises some admirable white-ball batsman in Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and KL Rahul. The experience of Ambati Rayudu & MS Dhoni makes up the middle-order, which is then followed by the valiant youth of Kedar Jadhav & Hardik Pandya to finish off things. 

There seem to be no concerns in the bowling department either. We have two remarkable new-ball fasters in Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Jasprit Bumrah, who with their controlled line and length can restrict the batsmen from playing their shots in the power-play. To boot, India possesses a forbidding wrist-spin duo, who will prove to be even more efficacious on the dry UAE pitches.

Weaknesses: There appear to be no potential weaknesses, except for the fact that India might miss Virat Kohli when it comes down to a tricky run-chase in a pivotal fixture.

Probable XI:

  1. Rohit Sharma (C)
  2. Shikhar Dhawan
  3. Lokesh Rahul
  4. Ambati Rayudu
  5. MS Dhoni (WK)
  6. Kedar Jadhav
  7. Hardik Pandya
  8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
  9. Kuldeep Yadav
  10. Yuzvendra Chahal
  11. Jasprit Bumrah

India's spin-twins

Pakistan: The Credible Favorites

They have an impressive record when playing in UAE, and they start the tournament as prospective favorites.

Strengths: It is distinct where their strength lies; their bowling. While Shadab Khan will lead the spin attack, they also boast of some eminent speedsters in Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan, and newcomer, Shaheen Afridi.

Pakistan also has an adept batting line-up. Sarfaraz Ahmed is fortunate to have two explosive openers in Fakhar Zaman & Imam-ul-Haq, who on their day can tear apart any bowling unit in the world. Another competent batsman in Babar Azam, who averages 54.22 in 45 innings makes up Pakistan's vicious top-order, which is followed by the experience of Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed himself at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. 

Weaknesses: Despite possessing of such an alarming pace-attack, it was observed that there wasn't a lot of assistance from the pitch for the pacers when they had played against Hong Kong yesterday. And, that is why they might miss the services of an additional spinner against India. Other than that, the team seems to be flawless, but, at times, they tend to implode, which is one aspect they must take a little care about.

Probable XI:

  1. Fakhar Zaman
  2. Imam-ul-Haq
  3. Babar Azam
  4. Shoaib Malik
  5. Sarfaraz Ahmed (C) (WK)
  6. Asif Ali
  7. Shadab Khan
  8. Faheem Ashraf/Shaheen Afridi
  9. Mohammad Amir
  10. Hasan Ali
  11. Usman Khan

Pakistan's eruptive opening pair

Prediction: Who will emerge on top?

It is difficult to prognosticate who will emerge triumphant at the end. Both the teams are equally proficient and capable of winning the game, although, in Virat Kohli's unavailability, will Pakistan have the upper hand on Wednesday? Well, being truthful, I think it is 55-45 towards India, simply because of the fact that the wrist-spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal & Kuldeep Yadav might blow off Pakistan in the middle overs. 

So, we can expect television sets to break in Pakistan, yet again...

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Cheers,

Sparsh