Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK | 5 Player Battles To Watch Out For in Match 3

India will face Pakistan on September 2 (Source: Twitter)

The mother of all cricketing battles beckons on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium as India and Pakistan will collide in the third match of the Asia Cup 2023.

In what is believed to be an intense competition, we would have Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma facing Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah could bowl to Babar Azam.

Before the clash begins, let us look at the player battles which could decide the match's outcome.

Virat Kohli vs Shaheen Shah Afridi

While there is open evidence of Virat Kohli's struggle against the left-arm pacers, he has done good enough against Pakistan's Shaheen in the T20I format. The pacer has dismissed Kohli only once. The two have not met in the ODIs so far.

Rohit Sharma vs Haris Rauf

India captain Rohit Sharma does not hold a good record against Haris Rauf. Although Naseem and Shaheen will probably bowl with the new ball, Rauf too can be tried in as an option versus Rohit.

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Fakhar Zaman vs Jasprit Bumrah 

Fakhar Zaman is known for his aggressive batting but when has faced Bumrah in the past, he has not gone with a similar approach. Although Zaman has not been dismissed by Bumrah in ODI cricket so far, his strike-rate reads as 55.6.

Babar Azam vs Kuldeep Yadav

The Pakistan run-machine Babar Azam is in terrific form. India have a weapon in the form of Kuldeep Yadav to get the better of the Pakistan skipper. The leg-spinner has dismissed Babar twice in ODIs. Interestingly, on both occasions, the right-hander got bowled almost similarly.

Iftikhar Ahmed vs Axar Patel

Team India would remember Axar Patel's hammering at the hands of Iftikhar Ahmed in the T20 World Cup 2022. If India picks Axar as their third spinner, he will be tested by Iftikhar, who bats in the middle order.

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