Having thrown the gauntlet down with a thoroughly ruthless performance against Hong Kong on Friday, Pakistan have made a statement of intent going into the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.
Where India huffed and puffed their way to a 40-run victory, Pakistan overwhelmed their overmatched opponents in Sharjah in the final Group A game, bowling them out for 38 and registering a most commanding 155-run victory. By itself, neither the result nor the margin will influence Sunday’s game against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, but Rohit Sharma’s men will feel they have been forewarned.
India can do better
India’s campaign thus far hasn’t been a true reflection of what they are capable of in 20-over cricket, or what they have accomplished thus far this year. Of particular interest will be how the top three of Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, who hadn’t played a T20I together in 2022 before the Asia Cup, shape up in their bid to follow the template of fearlessness and intent the team has draped itself in over the last 10 months.
Kohli has shown encouraging signs in the last two matches. After a hesitant start against Pakistan, he looked a little more fluent against Hong Kong and will be relieved that lack of genuine pace won’t be an impediment going forward.
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Rahul, though, is another story altogether. His body language hasn’t been the best, he seems to be bogged down mentally and has shown little evidence of the wonderful stroke-maker he is, with every stroke in the book.
Rohit’s recent returns in T20Is have been restricted to attractive cameos, and while he has strived manfully to set the tone, he would like a longer stay at the crease and a more meaningful contribution with the real deal underway now.
Burden for Axar Patel
Without Ravindra Jadeja, India face a delicate balancing act as they jostle the need for an additional bowling option with a street-smart batsman who can bat in different gears.
Axar Patel might appear a like-for-like fit and enjoys the confidence of the team management, but it will be a little too much to ask of him to bat at No. 4, like Jadeja did last Sunday to neutralise the threat of leggie Shadab Khan and left-arm spinner
Mohammad Nawaz.
Pakistan have most bases covered and ominously for the rest of the field, Babar Azam is yet to hit his straps. The skipper is the fulcrum around which their batting revolves, so if India can strike an early blow with the new ball, they can translate psychological damage into more meaningful impact.
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