IND vs PAK: Key face-offs of the match

Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam (Source: Twitter)

The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is all ready to entertain the fans with the mother of all cricketing rivalries, India vs Pakistan. The match will be taking place at MCG from 1:30 PM IST.

Before the contest starts off in the field let us take a look at some of the mini battles that will probably go a long way in determining the result of the match. 

Virat Kohli vs Shaheen Afridi

Shaheen Afridi has a great record against the Indian top order. He has dismissed Rohit of the one delivery that he has bowled to him T20Is. With Rohit's recent form and his susceptibility to the in-swinging delivery from the left arm pacer, Virat Kohli might be out in the middle pretty early facing Shaheen Afridi.

Virat Kohli vs Shaheen Afridi in T20Is

Balance of the face off

It appears that Virat has particularly been careful while facing Shaheen Afridi. As a result, Kohli's scoring rate is not high enough against him and also the bowler has got his wicket once in 10 balls. Therefore the balance of this face off is tilted towards Shaheen Afridi. 

Mohammad Rizwan vs Arshdeep Singh

Mohammad Rizwan has been the biggest pillar in the Pakistan batting order in this season. The team depends largely on him for solid starts. On the other hand, Arshdeep Singh has proved himself in the South Africa series with the new ball in hand. Therefor this clash between Rizwan and Arshdeep at the beginning of the Pakistan innings will be very interesting to watch. 

Mohammad Rizwan vs Arshdeep Singh

Balance of the face off

Mohammad Rizwan has not been dismissed by Arshdeep Singh yet in the two matches that they have faced. But Arshdeep has really kept him quiet, Rizwan has played 50% dots against the bowler and his scoring rate is just above run a ball. This face-off is balanced at present and it will be interesting to watch the two players taking the field against each other in the mega contest. 

Suryakumar Yadav vs Mohammad Nawaz

Suryakumar Yadav will be very important to India's chances in the match. India needs SKY to fire to have that added dynamism in their batting. In all probabilities he will have come out to bat in the middle overs and will be facing Mohammad Nawaz. Here is a look into the history of their previous face-offs. 

Suryakumar Yadav vs Mohammad Nawaz in T20Is

Balance of the face-off

The contest till now has panned out in favour of Mohammad Nawaz. The spinner has not only contained the dynamic right hander, but also has kept him quiet. It will be interesting to watch Suryakumar's approach once, Nawaz comes into bowl against him. 

Babar Azam vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar

In the last World Cup match, where India and Pakistan faced off, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan completely demolished the Indian bowling. So, in this match India will surely be looking to dismiss Azam as soon as possible. India's main weapon in the opening spell will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar. 

Babar Azam vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar in T20Is

Balance of the face-off

The face-off between Babar and Bhuvi is just slightly tilted towards the batter. He has scored at a decent rate against Bhuvneshwar but the bowler has also dimissed him once in the face-offs between them. It will be interesting contest especially on the Australian wicket, where Bhuvi could be dangerous. 

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