Four crucial World Cup clashes between India and Pakistan
India and Pakistan are bitter foes, and their World Cup match on Saturday is sure to be exciting. Let us look at four important matches that could decide the much-anticipated match at Ahmedabad’s world-class cricket ground.
Rohit vs. Shaheen:
In the few recent games between the two teams, India captain Rohit Sharma has had trouble with Shaheen Shah Afridi’s left-arm pace. In their first Asia Cup match last month in Pallekele, Rohit was bowled for 11 because he didn’t move his feet well, and Shaheen hit his off stump.
Shaheen got Rohit out lbw for a duck in the first over of the T20 World Cup in 2021 in Dubai. This was the start of the match. But Rohit was ready when the two teams played again, this time in Colombo, and he was careful against the fast bowlers even though he hit a six in the first over.
Kohli vs. Rauf
Virat Kohli and Haris Rauf were in a tough chase at the T20 World Cup in Melbourne last year. The stakes were high. India was behind 160 runs and needed 31 runs off of the last 18 balls. Kohli kept his cool and hit Rauf for two sixes, which shocked everyone at the MCG. Kohli hit the first ball, which was a length ball, straight down the ground. He then flicked the second ball over fine-leg to win the game. It was “instinctive” for Kohli to hit the sixes, but they started a big fight with the Pakistani quick that will continue in Ahmedabad.
Azam vs. Bumrah
At the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, Jasprit Bumrah saw how good the Pakistan leader was. The Indian attack, led by the yorker king Bumrah, was easy for Azam to handle. He and Mohammad Rizwan led the team to a 10-wicket win in Dubai. But Bumrah and his team seemed to have learned their lesson when they got Pakistan out for 128 runs in an Asia Cup Super Four match and won by a huge 228 runs. There were a few times in Colombo when Bumrah beat Azam’s bat before Hardik Pandya got the important wicket.
Iftikhar vs. Kuldeep
It’s easy for middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed to either stay put or go after the bowlers. But at the Asia Cup last month, India’s Kuldeep Yadav cut short the batsman’s run by taking a smart catch off his own bowling. Indian beat Pakistan by 228 runs thanks to Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist spin. He took 5-25 in that game. Iftikhar’s job on Saturday is to deal with the spin bowlers in the middle overs and also get the runs going faster.
