Just a week after their mouth-watering clash in the group stage of the ongoing 2022 Asia Cup, India and Pakistan will once again go head-to-head against each other in their respective opening games of the Super 4 stage of the competition.
Last Sunday’s game turned out to be a last-over thriller as India completed a tense run chase with just two balls to spare after an entertaining game. Hardik Pandya was the star for India with a stunning all-round show that saw him take three wickets with the ball and then play a stunning knock of 33 in just 17 balls. Pandya finished the job for the Men in Blue with a six of Mohammad Nawaz in the last over of the game.
Since that game, both India and Hong Kong have registered emphatic wins over minnows Hong Kong. India beat them by 40 runs while Pakistan thrashed them by a record margin of 155-run on Friday.
Both teams have suffered big injury blows ahead of the game. India have lost the services of Ravindra Jadeja for the entire tournament due to a knee injury while Pakistan will be without young pacer Shahnawaz Dahani having suffered a suspected side strain.
The two sides will have different issues to deal with going into the game. While India’s focus will be on their underwhelming top order who have not delivered the goods despite the vast amount of experience present there, Pakistan’s concern remains on their over dependence on the top three and the middle and lower order’s lack of reliability at the moment.
India vs Pakistan prediction: While Pakistan’s impressive bowling attack will continue to give India problems, the Rohit Sharma-led outfit are expected to register their second win of the season and make a winning start to the Super 4 stage and take a big step towards reaching the final.
