India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2018, Match Preview: Arch-Rivals Eye Dominance in Asia's Battle of Supremacy!
Come September 18, it will be more than a battle between India and Pakistan and securing a victory will be only an understatement.
India will face their arch-rivals Pakistan in their second match of the Asia Cup 2018. After an easy outing against Hong Kong, the Indian team would be ensuring that there’s no loose end, on Wednesday, as they face them for the first time since Champions Trophy 2017 Final. Know which side has the edge over each other at Asia Cup?
India and Pakistan have met 12 times at Asia Cup (in all editions combined), and the Men in Blue have found success in six of them, compared to Pakistan’s five. However, the tables are turned when the statistics in the context of matches played in UAE are considered.
India and Pakistan have played a total of 26 matches in the UAE (i.e. at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi). In those matches, Pakistan has won in 17 of them and India, in only 9. However, India and Pakistan and will be playing in Dubai at 2018 Asia Cup, if there is any consolation for the Indian team to hinge upon.
For India, their star player Virat Kohli has been rested for the tournament. However, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly feels that his absence won’t matter. And looking at the full strength squad that India has taken to UAE, it is fair to believe that they can beat Pakistan with the best 11 in them. Asia Cup 2018 Schedule in PDF for Free Download: Timetable With List of All Matches in IST Including India vs Pakistan Fixture.
For Pakistan, they put up an energetic show against Hong Kong in their tournament opener. Their batting line-up couldn’t be tested as much as they had wanted to, but they had a pretty decent outing against the minnows. Asia Cup 2018 Schedule of India Matches for Free PDF Download: Timetable with Fixture & Dates When Indian Will Play Including Pakistan Clash.
India’s Squad for Asia Cup 2018: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Dinesh Karthik, and Khaleel Ahmed.
Pakistan’s Squad for Asia Cup 2018: Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Imam ul Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Nawaz, Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Shinwari, and Shaheen Afridi.
India is currently embroiled in the battle with Hong Kong in their tournament opener. However, Pakistan has already beaten them in their first match. Come September 18, it will be more than a battle between India and Pakistan and securing a victory will be only an understatement. Asia Cup 2018 Points Table: Pakistan Beat Hong Kong, Take Top Spot in Group A Standings of Asian Cricket Tournament.
Well, that’s how special India and Pakistan matches have been. No matter, how many times players might have played the rivalry down, but deep down, everyone knows it is INDIA vs PAKISTAN! Stay tuned with us for all latest updates about Asia Cup 2018!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2018 08:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).