Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will rely heavily on his spin attack as India gear up to vanquish Pakistan again in what promises to be another intense and tense Super 4 showdown of the Asia Cup here on Sunday.
There have been numerous tense build-ups to Indo-Pak men's cricket matches in the past, but the tension between the two countries wasn't as visible as it has been since last Sunday when Suryakumar and his team decided not to shake hands with Pakistan, triggering a storm. It is learnt that the Indian team is likely to continue with the no-handshake policy against Pakistan this Sunday as well.
Suryakumar is expected to be at his attacking best again, but Axar Patel's head injury while trying to take a catch against Oman would keep him and head coach Gautam Gambhir a little anxious. But fielding coach T Dilip allayed any fears, saying the all-rounder was doing fine. In case Axar is reported unfit by this evening, Washington Sundar or Riyan Parag could fill that slot.
Also read: India wins by 7 wickets against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025
Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, who were rested for the match against Oman, will be back in action against Pakistan on Sunday. Considering that the pitches at the Dubai International Stadium are helping slow bowlers, the onus will once again be on Kuldeep Yadav, Axar and Varun to keep up their good work.
The current Pakistan team, however, lacks the quality, especially in the batting department where none of the players could read the spinners. For a country that produced champion players like Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Saleem Malik and Ijaz Ahmed in the bygone years, the current lot leaves a lot to be desired.
Opener Saim Ayub, the left-hander who scored back-to-back ducks, has become a subject of ridicule. "Saim Ayub had the ambition of becoming Saeed Anwar but he is turning into Saeed Ajmal,"goes the joke on the specialist opener for having taken more wickets in the tournament than the number of runs scored. Surprisingly, only pace bowler Shaheen Afridi has looked like a proper batsman in the squad.
Unlike the last game against India when Pakistan played a third spinner, left-armer Sufiyan Muqeem, there is more chance of fast bowler Haris Rauf playing on Sunday after his impressive show against the UAE in their last group league game.
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