T20 WC: India To Take On Arch Rival Pakistan In New York Today
India and Pakistan are set for a high-stakes clash in the T20 World Cup today. Team India will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their second Group A match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
The match is scheduled to start at 8:00 PM Indian Standard Time, with live streaming and telecast available in India.
India, led by Rohit Sharma, began their campaign with an emphatic eight-wicket win over Ireland. In contrast, Babar Azam’s Pakistan suffered a surprising Super Over defeat to the USA in Dallas.
Meanwhile, West Indies set a target of 174 runs for Uganda in the Group ‘C’ match at Providence Stadium, Guyana.
Johnson Charles was the top scorer with 44 runs, followed by Andre Russell’s 30 not out, while Brian Masaba led the wicket-taking, claiming two wickets.
In the third match, Oman will take on Scotland in Group ‘B’ match at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua. The match is scheduled to start at 10:30 PM IST.
Last night, Australia beat England by 36 runs at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.
In another match, South Africa beat the Netherlands by four wickets at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
“The pitch is much better today,” Ravi Shastri told Cricbuzz after conducting the toss for the Canada vs Ireland game on Friday. He was right – the match saw a much better balanced contest between bat and ball than in the recent past. As earlier reported by this website, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is making sure the match would not be a low-scoring farce because of the dangerous nature of the surface.
For the first time ever perhaps, the pitch has garnered more attention ahead of an India-Pakistan game. Typically, the focus would be on the intense rivalry, individual match-ups, and whether Pakistan can break the Indian stranglehold in World Cups. But with Pakistan’s high voltage pace battery – featuring Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf – expected to be in action on Sunday, concerns about the pitch’s behavior, or misbehaviour, are heightened.
As much as the pitch, the new ball will be the focal point, with wickets falling in a heap to the shining, swinging and bouncing ball. Consequently, the PowerPlay overs will be crucial, not for the runs scored but for the wickets lost. Caution rather than bravado would be key.
Although conditions were different in the last Twenty20 World Cup game between these countries at the MCG in 2022, India found themselves at 31 for 4 in 6.1 overs – hardly an ideal start. That they still managed to win the game by chasing 160 is another story, thanks to the genius of Virat Kohli.
Going by New York’s record, the batters can capitalise on the bowling once the ball gets old, making wickets in hand more important than runs scored in the first half of the innings. India couldn’t have asked for a better opening pair to handle such a situation. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have the experience and skills needed to tackle the new ball challenge effectively.
But then there are these match-up situations. Rohit is known for vulnerability to left arm pacers and Pakistan have two of the best in the business – Afridi and Amir. Similarly, Kohli’s history with Rauf suggests that the early overs could sway the game’s outcome. With limited assistance for spin, batters can target the spinners and from an Indian perspective, Shivam Dube’s ability to attack spinners cannot be overstated.
India could be better off if Dube’s arrival at the crease is strategically timed to force Pakistan, who have two spinners – Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed – to alter their plan, thereby creating opportunities for other Indian batters to score runs elsewhere in the innings. Additionally, considering Kuldeep Yadav’s match-winning abilities and his impressive record against Pakistan, including him in the lineup may prove beneficial.
After their loss to minnows USA, Pakistan find themselves in a cricketing rabbit hole. However, such situations are not unfamiliar to Babar Azam’s team; they have a history of suffering unexpected defeats in the World Cups. They plummeted to a similar upset against Afghanistan in Chennai during the recent ODI World Cup.
Former captain Ramiz Raja urged them to unite and rise to the occasion. “That will be the biggest incentive. The New York conditions are a lottery and present Pakistan a good opportunity against a stronger side,” remarked the former Pakistan captain and former board chief. While it’s not ideal for conditions to dictate the outcome rather than quality of cricket dictating the result, there is nothing called ideal in an India-Pakistan contest. The end justifies every means here.
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Abbas Afridi
