Mohammad Nawaz's Left-Arm Spin: A Threat To Indian Batters In Asia Cup 2025

Challenge for Indian batters [Source: AFP Photo]

The wait is almost over as the much-awaited Asia Cup 2025 is set to commence on Tuesday. Out of all the games in the marquee event, the world has its eyes set on the India vs Pakistan game on Sunday, September 14, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Millions will tune in to watch the arch-rivals go head to head against each other in a riveting battle.

India is the firm favourite to win the match due to their recent record, but taking Pakistan lightly will be a big mistake, especially with Mohammad Nawaz in their ranks. The Pakistan all-rounder took a fifer against the Afghanistan team in the tri-nation finale, and could be the trump card against India in the group stage game.

Here are possible reasons why the Pakistan all-rounder will be India’s biggest headache on Sunday.

The left-arm spin dilemma for India's middle-order trio

Assuming that Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya form the middle-order (number 3, 4, and 5), then they would have to deal with Mohammad Nawaz, who generally bowls in the middle-overs and Agha Salman will use him to counter the right-handed trio.

(Middle order batters record vs Left-arm spin)

• As the numbers suggest, the trio of Samson, Suryakumar and Hardik have struggled against left-arm spinners in T20Is, and hence, Nawaz, being a left-armer, poses a different challenge for the Indian batters.
• While Samson strikes at 123.1 against left-arm orthodox, Suryakumar strikes at 125.1, which is lower than his overall T20I number (167.07).
• Similarly, Hardik Pandya, who is known for his exploits against spin, struggles against left-arm bowlers, with a strike rate of 92.1, including 4 dismissals.
• With his excellent performances in the UAE tri-series, Nawaz will be a guaranteed starter and he will be put up against the Indian middle order batters under testing conditions.

What makes Nawaz a threat for India?

• With three right-handers for India, Nawaz’s left-arm angle will create problems for the Men in Blue. His role would be to drift the ball away from the right-handed batters, as then, the batters would have to play away from the body, and as a result, there are high chances of caught dismissals.
• Nawaz also has a good arm ball, and if he bowls from around the wicket, the batters might find it hard to judge whether to play for the turn or for the straighter one. In this confusion, a batter could throw away his wicket. Pakistan would hope Nawaz could do this role against a star-studded Indian lineup.

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