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The arch-rivals will clash once again as India and Pakistan get ready to square off in a crunch Asia Cup match on September 4 (Sunday). On the back of Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance and Ravindra Jadeja's handy knock with the bat, the Men in Blue downed Pakistan by five wickets earlier in the tournament in a Group A clash. The Indian fans would want nothing less than a replica of the result that transpire last Sunday. But this time, things have become a little complicated for Team India with their star all-rounder sidelined due to injury.
Jadeja's injury comes as a big setback for the Men in Blue. The all-rounder batter with tremendous composure against Pakistan in a high-pressure game and then followed that performance with superb bowling and fielding effort against Hong Kong. Replacing someone like Jadeja is a tall task but India has a very reliable option in Axar Patel, who has been roped into the squad.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Deepak Hooda also possess the same attributes as Axar Patel. Thus, it would be interesting to see what captain Rohit Sharma and the team management decide. The selection headache only go worse for India as paceman Avesh Khan went down with a fever on the eve of the match. His position in the playing XI is not certain on Sunday.
Then comes the most complicated selection dilemma of all: Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant? Or both like the last game? So far, the veteran wicketkeeper-batter has featured in India's both Asia Cup matches but Pant was selected only for the game against Hing Kong. Karthik might be a certainty in the playing XI for the game against the Men in Green but what about Pant?
On the flip side, Pakistan were also dealt an injury blow as Shahnawaz Dahani was ruled out of the game against India owing to an injury. Hasan Ali, who was named as a replacement for Mohammad Wasim Jr, is likely to replace Dahani. Apart from that, the Men in Green are likely to not tinker with the playing XI.
India's likely XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Pakistan likely XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali
