India would like to start their T20 International World Cup campaign on a high as they face arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening encounter.
The toss for the high-profile Super 12, Group 2 game of the tournament to be played at the Dubai International Stadium will take place at 7:00 PM (IST) and the game is expected to begin at 7:30 PM (IST).
The toss can play an important role considering the slow and low pitches of Dubai, with the batting teams losing momentum in the middle of the game i.e. between 7-15 overs.
Team India can win hearts with the fact that they have ticked a few boxes in both their pre-tournament warm-up matches against England and Australia, especially when it comes to team combination.
India have a 12-0 record in the Twenty20 and 50-over World Cups against Pakistan and they will be hoping to carry on that streak in their first match of the tournament against their arch-rivals.
Before the game, India captain Virat Kohli said that his team’s impeccable tournament record against Pakistan will be worth nothing when they face each other and they need to beat Babar Azam’s team in the Twenty20 World Cup. Your best performance will be required.
Like Kohli, Babar Azam too refused to dwell on the past in his first global tournament as Pakistan captain. “We are not focusing on what happened in the past, but on what lies ahead,” he said.
squads of both teams
Indian Squad: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan Varun Chakraborty
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Haider Ali
positive for india
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma’s dream of a return to form in the IPL will help India dominate the powerplay and set up the game for middle and lower order batsmen Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.
negative for india
If Hardik Pandya is played purely as a batsman then India’s problem will be long tail and absence of a sixth bowler.
positive for pakistan
For Pakistan, their two main players will be captain Babar Azam, who is an all-format superstar and someone who is one of the greats of modern times. They will need Shaheen’s support with the new ball as Hasan and Rauf can go on to score runs against India.
negative for pakistan
Pakistan is widely considered to be unpredictable when it comes to the World Cup. On its day, the team can beat anyone, but as past experience shows, it can break under pressure. Any positive result for the team will depend on how long they can put enough pressure on India in the game.
where to look
The Star Sports network will broadcast all the matches of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 live, while Disney+ Hotstar will broadcast all the matches live on its app and website.
State-owned Doordarshan will also telecast India’s matches free of cost on its terrestrial network.
Don’t miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint.
download
Our App Now!!
.