India and Pakistan will lock horns for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Sunday during a Super Four fixture at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In the first meeting, India beat Pakistan by five wickets in a thrilling encounter.
They later beat Hong Kong by 40 runs to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup as Group A champions.
Pakistan turned out to be the second team from the group to progress to the next round after they handed Hong Kong a massive 155 runs defeat. They will be itching to seek revenge for the group stage loss at the hands of their arch-rivals.
The Babar Azam-led side could draw confidence from the fact that there are several areas of concern for India ahead of the big match.
The most important issue that India needs to address is that of KL Rahul’s form. Indian captain Rohit Sharma hasn’t been at his best in T20Is this year too.
Further compounding India’s problem is the injury to Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder has injured his knee and has been ruled out for the rest of the Asia Cup. Replacing Jadeja in the Indian squad is Axar Patel.
Pakistan themselves will be hoping that a few things fall in place as soon as possible. The biggest of Pakistan’s concerns is the form of captain Babar Azam.
Pakistan received a huge blow on Saturday ahead of the Super Four match against India as their fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani would be unavailable in the match due to a suspected side strain injury.
The Pakistan Cricket Board informed that their medical team will monitor him for the next 48-72 hours and decide the next course of action.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
