Published: Mar 20, 2014, 12:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 20, 2014, 12:35 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Mar 20, 2014
The last time India and Pakistan met each other, the contest stopped hearts as Shahid Afridi scripted a brilliant last over finish. A little more than two weeks down the line, they get set for the curtain raiser of the super-10s of the ICC World T20 2014 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur. This is the T20 World Cup, and when it comes to such events, India have maintained a clean-sheet over their arch-rivals. In three previous meetings, one in 2012 and two in 2007, India emerged victorious as Pakistan still searches for that elusive victory.
The pressure would be intense and both sides would like to get it out of the way early in the tournament. It may be the start of a tournament, but there are more stakes involved, some would say. While India would want to avenge their Asia Cup defeat, Pakistan would want to set the ball rolling in world cup events. Skippers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mohammad Hafeez know their task at hand and would have their best possible combinations in the centre.
India seem to have their batting order set after their two warm-up games. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan may continue to open the batting with Virat Kohli, the mainstay, coming in at No 3. Yuvraj Singh will hold on to the No 4 spot with Suresh Raina at No 5. It is likely that India may play three spinners, which means Ravindra Jadeja would be at No 7, with Dhoni at No 6.
Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin would be the main spinners in the side and they will combine with Jadeja in the contest. The two fast bowlers who look good to make it into the eleven are Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami.
Pakistan tried out numerous combinations in their warm-ups and the eight-wicket defeat to South Africa is a wake-up call for them ahead of the main draw. They have to get their batting order right as they have tried Sharjeel Khan, Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad at the top. Shehzad may settle into the role as he has been in good form off-late. Hafeez has to sort that out as they have a good middle order as well. Shoaib Malik is back in the squad and there is also Sohaib Maqsood in the roster. Umar Akmal is a certainty as he could be their game-changer in the middle.
The bowling attack would be led by Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal. And, they also have Afridi would will roll his arm over. Then, they have a host of other options in their fact bowling. Sohail Tanvir, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Talha and Bilawal Bhatti are some of the options. Zulfiqar Babar, the left-arm spinner may find himself out of the side, as they have Ajmal, Hafeez and Afridi to bowl spin.
The only world event where Pakistan maintained an upper-hand over India was the ICC Champions Trophy, as they won in 2004 and 2009. However, India broke that streak in 2013 and looking at that, Pakistan may want to change things. A thrilling opener awaits the World T20.
Squads:
India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Ajinkya Rahane.
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (c), Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Umar Gul, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Talha, Junaid Khan.
Time: 19:00 IST | 14:30 GMT
ICC World T20 2014 Points Table and Team Standings
ICC World T20 2014 Schedule details
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)
