Asia Cup 2023 | PAK vs IND - Three Factors in India's Favour
Rohit Sharma regaining form ahead of the Pakistan match will be a big positive for India (Source: AP Photos)
The super fours stage of the Asia Cup is already underway and will continue on the 9th of September at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo after a 2 day break. The people will also look forward to the most awaited contest on the 10th of September where India will take on arch rivals Pakistan once again. With Pakistan looking good every match with their ruthless pacers and deep batting lineup, it’s going to be a big challenge for the men in blue. The Indians have had a bit of an up and down tournament so far.
The last encounter between these two teams was called off after the first innings due to rain. The Indians will have to come back as a better side than the first two games where they scraped through a total of 266 in their first game against Pakistan and displayed an underwhelming Fielding performance against Nepal in their 2nd game.
Three factors that could help India win against Pakistan
Despite the performance of India hasn’t been up to the mark there are still some factors that can put India ahead of Pakistan.
Consistent Spin Attack
Both Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were exceptional in their last game. Jadeja was the bowler who got India back into the game with 3 big wickets. Though Kuldeep ended up being wicketless in the last game, his economical spell kept the Nepal batters from scoring runs in the middle. With Babar Azam and Imam Ul Haq having some trouble against spin in the past the two spinner’s performance will be vital.
Strong Top Order Batters
The top three batters of India will be a key factor for India. Even though Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not really been at their fluent best they are still big match winners that can change the complexion of the game with one big knock. The addition of Shubman Gill who has already played some big knocks in his short career makes the Indian top order dangerous if one of these batters get going.
Match Winning All-rounders
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have already proven themselves as match winners early into this tournament. Hardik’s knock against Pakistan will give him a lot of confidence playing against them once again. Jadeja has also proven effective with ball in hand against Nepal. These two will be vital assets since they cover all the bases of the game and are also sharp in the field.
Conclusion
The competition between these two teams will still be exciting to watch. Though Pakistan have looked like the best side in the tournament, we cannot take the Indians lightly due to the talent they possess. India will have to play their best cricket against this Pakistan side who has dominated in all departments so far. It is also important for big guns like Kohli and Sharma to step up and show why they have the best numbers against Pakistan in International cricket.
With both the teams having world class batsmen, good pacers and some attacking spin options we can surely expect another thrilling game between one of the top Asian teams in international cricket. Overall the stage is set for one of the biggest rivalries in cricket history to take place on the 10th in the Premadasa Stadium at Colombo.
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