Asia Cup 2022, IND vs PAK: Five player battles to watch out for

Cricket fanatics around the globe will be glued to the television, a billion hearts will beat at a faster rate, and the world will come to a standstill when two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, will clash in the second match of the Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday. 

Although the absence of Shaheen Afridi and Jasprit Bumrah has killed the excitement to some extent, there are still a few contests which could set the stage on fire. So, let's have a look at some on-field player battles that could prove decisive in this high-voltage affair. 

Suryakumar Yadav vs Mohammad Nawaz

Suryakumar Yadav in action [PC: Twitter]

Despite establishing himself as a prolific T20 batter, Suryakumar Yadav has somehow failed to stamp his authority against slow left-arm bowlers. Statistically, Suryakumar, fondly called as India's Mr 360, has averaged a mere 20.34 and struck at an ordinary rate of 107.01 against the left-arm off-spinners in the shortest format since 2021. So, I believe his contest with Mohammad Nawaz will definitely be a cracking one. 

Fakhar Zaman vs Yuzvendra Chahal

Fakhar Zaman in CT 2017 final [PC: Twitter]

We all know Fakhar Zaman's exploits against proper fast bowling. However, the swashbuckling southpaw's performance against right-arm leg spinners has been abysmal, to say the least. Statistically, Fakhar has managed 111 runs at a dismal average of 18.5 against the leg-break bowlers in his five-year long T20I career. More importantly, he averages just 12 against them since 2020, which makes his battle with Yuzvendra Chahal a must-watch. 

Rishabh Pant vs Shadab Khan

Rishabh Pant in action versus Pakistan [PC: Twitter]

Shadab Khan emerged as the clear winner when these two faced each other for the very first time in last year's T20 World Cup. While Rishabh Pant managed to score 12 runs, the leg spinner dismissed him at a crucial juncture of the game, ensuring a sub-par finish for team India. The reason behind keeping this battle on this list is the impact it will have on the outcome of the match. Pant will likely be the lone left-handed batter in India's top six and his primary task would be to score ample runs against Pakistani spinners. So, if Shadab dominates him once again, it could jolt India's plans of scoring at a brisk rate in the middle overs phase. 

Babar Azam vs Arshdeep Singh

Babar is Pakistan's best batter [PC: Twitter]

If there is any Indian bowler Pakistan need to be well-prepared for, it's Arshdeep Singh. The youngster swings the ball up front and nails the yorkers to perfection. So, he will be a definite threat to Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam with the new ball. More importantly, the fact that Babar has got out four times to left-arm medium-fast bowlers scoring at a mediocre strike rate of 112.12 in the powerplay since 2021 makes this battle an important one. 

KL Rahul vs Naseem Shah

KL Rahul in action [PC: Twitter]

These two players have never ever played each other. However, considering KL Rahul's proneness to movement and Naseem Shah's incredible quality with the new ball, I feel it could turn out to be a cracking contest. The stylish right-handed batter is coming from a long injury layoff. So, it will be interesting to see how he handles Naseem's thunderbolts in the initial stage of the game. 

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