The arch-rivalry between India and Pakistan will be on display once again in the high-octane Sunday's slugfest when both the teams will lock horns with each other in the Asia Cup's Super 4 clash.
As India got the better of Pakistan by five wickets in the Group A match on August 28, Babar Azam-led side will look to exact revenge from their arch-nemesis.
However, both the teams have dealt with big blows losing their key players. While India will miss the services their star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as he has been ruled out of the remainder of the Asia Cup 2022 owing to knee injury, Shahnawaz Dahani will also miss the game due to side strain which he picked up during against Hong Kong.
Rohit Sharma & Co. are expected to recall Hardik Pandya for the game against Pakistan but there will be some key playing XI decisions for the team management, with Rishabh Pant's spot in the side also being the key focus. However, former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed believes that Pandya will be the main player for India, and even added that he is a type of player that Pakistan misses in their T20I squad.
“The biggest advantage that India has is Hardik Pandya. Pakistan doesn't have an all-rounder like that, he is as effective as Abdul Razzaq was for us,” Aaqib said during a debate on Geo Super.
“So, if Pakistan want to grow in T20Is, they need to find an all-rounder like him very soon. Because in T20Is, it's all about how many all-rounders you have -- like India have Jadeja and Pandya. That's an advantage for India and that's the big missing link for Pakistan,” he further said.
Aaqib also added that while Pakistan have an abundance of fast bowling talent, it's their batting order which continues to be the weak link. He further named two players who could have bolstered the same in the Asia Cup.
“Fast bowling is natural talent. You need height and I think the Punjab belt has some very natural talent in fast bowling. I feel our biggest problem is our batting lineup. If you keep Shoaib Malik and Shan Masood in this team, you will have five batters who can take on the Indian team,” said Aaqib.
India's squad: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Pakistan's squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammed Hasnain, Hasan Ali.
