5 Match-Ups To Watch Out For In Indo-Pak Showdown In Asia Cup

2025-09-14 03:13:47

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
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Dubai- India and Pakistan are meeting in a T20 International after more than 15 months and a lot has changed in the interim.

India under Suryakumar Yadav has become a crack unit having won 85% of its matches since the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the shortest format.

Pakistan on the other hand have also shown a bit of aggressive streak post T20 World Cup in the US where the team even lost to the host nation. Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan are no longer part of this set-up and the new-look team under Salman Agha isn't doing too badly either.

With hours to go for the marquee clash here, the PTI looks at what could be the most interesting match-ups in the contest.

his is the first time that Indian vice-captain and Pakistan's pace spearhead will be squaring off in a T20 International. Shaheen has been part of three games against India (all in T20 WCs) and incidentally Gill wasn't a part of these games.

This will be a battle of equals. Shaheen is a nightmare when his nip-backer lands on perfect length early on with no visible footwork from a right-hand batter. Gill would certainly be wary of that.

But if one looks at Gill's record against left-arm seamers across 15 T20Is in which he faced them, it is not bad either. He has faced 92 deliveries in all and scored 157 runs in them at a strike-rate of over 170. He hit eight sixes and 20 boundaries and has been dismissed by them only twice. But against Shaheen, it will be a different battle.

Jasprit Bumrah vs Saim Ayub

Saim Ayub is rated very highly in Pakistan cricket for his unconventional and fearless stroke-play, which includes a 'No Look Six'. It is a stroke where he plays the pick-up pull behind square without looking at the delivery while executing the shot.

He has played that stroke too many times in the PSL with some degree of success but against world's best fast bowler across formats, it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction time Saim has when it swings or moves off the surface at 140 plus clicks.

Kuldeep Yadav vs Fakhar Zaman

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