The Indian team will be looking to extend their winning run against arch-rivals Pakistan to 2 wins in 2 matches on Sunday with the sides all set to battle it out in the 3rd match of the Super Four in the Asia Cup.
With both the sides having performed well in the series so far, having won all their matches against other opponents, the clash promises to be a nail-biting thriller. The arch-rivals had previously battled it out in the 5th match of the Asia Cup with fans across the two nations optimistic of a memorable clash consisting of twists and turns at every stage. However, it turned out to be a one-sided contest with the Men in Blue making short work of their opponents in a 8-wicket victory after restricting their opponents to 162 runs on the back of excellent performances by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and part-timer Kedar Jadhav who picked up 3 wickets apiece. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan ensured a steady start at the top of the order with an 86-run opening partnership with Ambati Rayadhu and Dinesh Karthick ensuring a composed finish when it mattered.
Pakistan will be looking to extract revenge on Sunday after the humiliating loss early on with bowlers Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz in good nick. The Indians, on the other hand, will be eager to make it 2 in 2 by ensuring an all-round performance similar to that against Bangladesh.
Pakistan are back to knock on India’s door in the Unimoni #AsiaCup 2018, this time in the Super 4! Can India #KnockThemOut yet again? Find out LIVE on Star Sports! #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/K3ndMQK2Wl
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 22, 2018
In their previous clash, Team India registered a comprehensive 7 wicket win against neighbours Bangladesh after being handed a target of just 173 runs within the allotted 50 overs. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who made a comeback to the ODI squad after around 480 days proved lethal with the ball registering figures of 4/29 in 10 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma, in turn, ensured a hiccup-free chase with an excellent knock of 83 runs in 104 balls comprising of 5 boundaries and 3 sixes.
Pakistan, on the other hand, did not enjoy a good day at office against opponents Afghanistan barely managing to register a 3-wicket win in the last over after being handed a target of 258 runs with veteran batsman Shoaib Malik bringing all his experience into play in a crucial fixture.
Teams (From):
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sarfraz Ahmed(captain), Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir.
(With inputs from PTI)
Source: Zee News