🏏India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup-Super Four, Match 14 (A1 v A2) Dubai🏏

🏏India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup-Super Four, Match 14th (A1 v A2) Dubai🏏

India defeated Pakistan comprehensively in the group stage fixture, but they won't take Pakistan for granted in the Super 4s game, as they know that the Men in Green can be unpredictable and test any team on their day.

That being said, if India play their best cricket, Pakistan won't be able to beat them, even at their peak performance.

India are undefeated in the tournament and seems to have all bases covered. The batting is firing in all cylinders, while the bowling looks very difficult to get away, with three quality spinners and Jasprit Bumrah to deal with for opposition teams.

There is some doubt about Axar Patel playing against Pakistan as he picked up an injury against Oman, and if he is not fit, India's strategy of playing three spinners and Jasprit Bumrah as a specialist pacer could take a hit as India don't have any spin replacement available.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have a lot of issues to deal with. They were embarrassed in the previous clash after Indian players refused to shake hands with them, and their performance in the game was also not something to be proud of.

The biggest concern for Pakistan is their batting, which looks very vulnerable against Indian bowling. If Pakistan needs to have any chance of pulling off an upset against India, the batters need to play out of their skin and get big scores, and there is no other way out for them.

One of India's fielding drills has been to stare straight into the floodlights while the ball is in the air and then try to catch it. The idea is to "feel the panic" of losing sight of the ball and still believe that it's possible to complete the catch.

They have practiced the drill with old balls and new, and the principle has been the same across disciplines. They have shuffled batting orders to the extent of sending Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh ahead of captain Suryakumar, asked fast bowlers to patrol point and tossed the ball to part-timers in key phases.

Even the spinners have been rotated without a set pattern. The idea: rehearse chaos, inject randomness, be ready for whatever comes.

India have tried to rehearse the unpredictable but there are things you can't prepare for. Like the paraphernalia of an India-Pakistan game.

The noise that seeps in despite Suryakumar's best effort to cut it down by "70-80%" by deleting apps, closing the room, switching off the phone and going to sleep. The 20-30% that filters through is still overwhelming. This, T Dilip can't train the team for.

The last time these sides met in this Asia Cup, the cricket itself seemed secondary. Awkwardness lingered before the fixture, bitterness after it. Since then, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has carried its standoff with the ICC over Andy Pycroft, who remains the match referee for this Super Four fixture.

Team news:

India

After giving all batters and part-timers a run against Oman, India are set to revert to full strength, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy. Varun was among the few to train on match eve, practicing his scrambled seam legbreaks and googlies against a set of stumps. The others at the training were Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, who bowled and batted and will be a key figure once again.

Injuries/Unavailability: Axar Patel, who struck his head while fielding in Abu Dhabi, is understood to be fine and available. No cover has been called.

Tactics & matchups: Samson and Tilak struggled against spin in Abu Dhabi, going 22 balls without a boundary. Their face-off with Abrar Ahmed will be crucial. The legspinner has bowled 70 balls in this Asia Cup and conceded just two boundaries.

Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy

Pakistan

Against UAE, Pakistan recalled Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah, leaving out Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf. That balance is expected to continue. Eyes will be on Saim Ayub, on a hat-trick of ducks, and Hasan Nawaz, who needs runs.

Injuries/Unavailability: No reported injuries since their last match.

Tactics & matchups: Kuldeep Yadav's record against Pakistan looms again. Fakhar Zaman (30 runs, 3 dismissals in 35 balls) and Salman Agha (6 runs, 2 dismissals in 12 balls) have both found him tough across formats.

Probable XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris(w), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

This meeting, too, comes wrapped in certainty and doubt. Certain, because it is on the schedule, in Dubai again, with India stronger on paper. Uncertain, because it's Pakistan and they can turn it on. To go with it, they cancelled their pre-match press conference and the last time they did that at this Asia Cup, they nearly didn't turn up and the match had to be delayed by an hour.

So the build-up has been more chaos than clarity. India have spent weeks trying to rehearse the unpredictable. Whether that's enough will be answered only on Sunday night.

When: September 21, 06:30 PM LOCAL / 8:00 PM IST

Where: Dubai International Stadium

What to expect: Another slow, dry surface, with equal boundaries on both sides and a thin grass cover to hold it together. It's likely the same center pitch used for the last India-Pakistan game. Suryakumar believes conditions here haven't shifted much across innings, unlike in Abu Dhabi where dew played a hand. Toss hasn't had a decisive say at this venue. The temperatures are forecast to be around 35 degrees around match start but the evenings in the city are already cooler than a week ago.

Did you know?

- Pakistan have lost 22 wickets while attempting attacking shots, the most by a team in the competition.

- In the three games so far this Asia Cup, Abhishek Sharma has faced 44 balls and smashed 99 runs off them at a SR of 225.

- Shaheen Afridi has hit 6 of the 15 sixes by Pakistan batters in this Asia Cup.

Who said what?

If we talk about rivalry [with Pakistan], I don't know what kind of rivalry you are talking about. After going on the ground, I feel that the stadium is full. And when the stadium is full, I tell my team and everyone that it is time for entertainment. So many people have come to watch the match, so you have to entertain everyone - Suryakumar Yadav, India captain

Can Pakistan Upset India?

On paper, and on form, India are clearly the better team, and it's very unlikely that they will be outplayed by Pakistan. But cricket is a funny game and can be very unpredictable, especially the T20Is where a game can change in a few deliveries. Pakistan will need big guns Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf to deliver their best performance today to test India.

I Want Kuldeep To Pick Five Wickets - Childhood Coach

Kuldeep's childhood coach Kapil Pandey is optimistic that Kuldeep Yadav can continue his great form against Pakistan. “Our team is very strong. They have defeated Pakistan in the earlier match, so their morale is high. Pakistan is under pressure as they have lost once. Our team is very balanced. It's time that Kuldeep should pick five wickets, and even if he doesn't pick five wickets, he should bowl well and take the main wickets and make the team proud,” Pandey said.

R Ashwin Defends Andy Pycroft

R Ashwin defended Andy Pycroft and said he merely informed Pakistan about India's decision. Andy Pycroft actually saved everybody from seeing such a poor spectacle. India informed the match referee in advance — this is our decision, and we will follow it. That’s it. After all this drama, you lost the match. So what are you complaining about?

IND vs PAK Live: Toss Time

Play is set to start at 8:00 PM IST and the toss will take place at 7:30 PM.

Where Should Sanju Samson Bat?

Sanju Samson was promoted to three against Oman and he scored a crucial fifty. Samson has shown great form batting in the top order, but he will most likely drop down to six against Pakistan, with captain Suryakumar Yadac playing at three. If India lose an early wicket, Samson might get a promotion because he has been used as an opener before.