India and Pakistan clash at the iconic MCG ground for their campaign opener at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Here's the IND vs PAK Predicted XI for the match.
The stage is set for another riveting clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan at the T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday (October 22). The two neighbours meet at the iconic MCG to kickstart their respective campaigns for the tournament at the Super 12s stage.
Over the years, the India-Pakistan clash has been the most sought-after feature of the T20 World Cups. India dominated the better of the contest until last year when Pakistan upstaged them for the first time in Dubai.
Since then, Pakistan have carried a wave about them against India, shedding the perception of pushovers through an impressive win over their rivals even in the Asia Cup 2022.
The upcoming encounter is thus an opportunity for the Indians to make amends against an opposition growing in stature and get their campaign off with grace and momentum. Likewise, Pakistan, the former champions, wouldn’t have a better chance to pip over a slightly vulnerable Indian side.
But before we get there, much of the attention revolves around the two countries’ likely playing XIs. Both India and Pakistan have had extensive preparations for the game and look quite settled with their first-choice units. Here is what their predicted XIs could look like.
India: The 2007 champions have a solid opening pair at the top of the order, with skipper Rohit Sharma shouldering arms with the ever-elegant KL Rahul. The two players are critical to India’s chances as their new-ball competency against the Pakistan attack will dictate much of what score their team gets on the board.
Pakistan: Likewise Pakistan, who depend a lot on captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan offering them a start at the top and laying a foundation for their middle-order hitters to come out all guns blazing against the opposition. Their strike-rates have often fallen under scrutiny but the Rizwan-Babar duo have also been the most consistent of the lot for Pakistan.
India: Rohit & company will be mighty pleased with the signs of resurgence that their incumbent No.3 Virat Kohli has displayed since the beginning of the Asia Cup and will be keen for him to continue in that vein through the T20 World Cup as well. Following Kohli at No.4 is arguably the best contemporary T20I batter in the world – Suryakumar Yadav – who has been absolute brilliant with the bat since his debut last year.
At No.5, India have tended to give their premier allrounder Hardik Pandya greater responsibility, something that he has relished to become an integral part of the batting unit. To round off the middle-order, India have their power-packed designated end-overs hitter in the form of experienced wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik.
Pakistan: The middle order has been under constant scrutiny for Pakistan, who have had the Babar-Rizwan duo taking out a major chunk of the innings at their respective ends with the intention to build a platform for the rest, only to find out that it’s a scenario that often robs the unsettled men down the order an opportunity to get in before exploding.
Yet from time to time, Pakistan have found heroes from 3-6, with Fakhar Zaman at No.3 always posing a dangerous prospect for the opposition. Talking of power-hitting, Asif Ali is another player that India would do well not to take lightly. Around them, Haider Ali and Iftikhar Ahmed will also enter the India clash with a point to prove.
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India: Apart from Hardik with his seam bowling and power-hitting prowess, spin allrounder Ravindra Jadeja’s rising stocks in both skills in T20s made him an integral part of India’s white-ball set-up in the allrounder’s capacity at No.7. But with Jadeja ruled out, the onus is now on his like-for-like replacement Axar Patel to make his opportunity count. India would place Patel at No.6, above Karthik at 7, to allow the latter to have his ideally suited entry points in the end-overs phase.
Pakistan: Pakistan bat deeper than India, with twin utility cricketers Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz bolstering the side. One is an improving wristspinner and the other a disciplined left-arm tweaker. That is their primary skill. But they command respect even with bat in hand, capable of making an impact on their own as India found out when Nawaz was promoted up the order for a match-winning cameo at the Asia Cup in UAE.
India: In usual circumstances, India may have nudged in favour of wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the spin department. But against a Pakistan side that tends to struggle for big shots against off-spin, veteran Ravichandran Ashwin makes for a brighter prospect. On the pace front, India would bank a lot on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who would be joined in at the other end by rising left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh and slower-ball merchant Harshal Patel.
Pakistan: With their spin arsenal picking itself, Pakistan also have a straightforward job to do on the pace front. If fit and available, the trio of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Afridi make for perhaps the toughest of attacks at this T20 World Cup. Pakistan would be delighted with the way Shaheen looked in the warm-up game against Afghanistan upon his return from a sustained knee injury rehab.
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Harshal Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi
