The most awaited rivalry has finally arrived as India takes on Pakistan on an exciting Sunday night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Thousands of fans from the South Asian subcontinent would be flocking to the stadium for this game that marks the kick-off of Group 2 in the Super 12 stage. The moment is only a couple of hours away and let's grab insights that may come in handy going into this game.
Overview
India: The numero uno side in the ICC T20I rankings has been left whining in the ICC events for the past 9 years and under a fresh skipper who will be leading the nation first time in an ICC event, they would feel they can add a long-awaited triumph to their kitty this time around. India won the inaugural edition of this tournament in 2007 only to never lift it again. They wouldn't want to begin their campaign like the previous edition of this marquee tournament where everything just went downhill for them after losing to their arch-rivals.
A lot has changed since then as India has a different coach and skipper in their dugout under whom they have rebranded their brand of cricket completely in the shortest format to a manner where their batters keep going bonkers without worrying much about the fall of wickets. It does sound familiar, ain't it? Yeah, the T20 World Cup 2021 did exactly have the same impact on the Indian T20 team as what Cricket World Cup 2015 did to English cricket in limited-overs cricket. With the team shaping up well in the build-up to this event, they would like to turn the tables this time around and end their 9-year-long drought.
Pakistan: They would walk in with probably the tag of the most unpredictable side that can topple any nation anytime at any stage. The thing that makes them unpredictable is their batting lineup which completely revolves around skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan.
It has been 13 years since Pakistan clinched this title and they would see these bouncy tracks as an opportunity to end this streak. They possess a lethal pace attack that has presumably been labelled as 'SEXY' by even the Indian coach Rahul Dravid, less than two months back in a press conference, which in itself speaks volumes coming from one of the most respected players ever from the biggest rival side about the quality that they possess in this department. With Australia being viewed as a paradise for the pacers, the fifth-most populous nation would surely fancy their chances to put a smile on the face of their masses this time around.
Probable Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma(C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Pakistan: Babar Azam(C), Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah.
Pitch & Weather Report
This will be the first game to be played in this tournament at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The team batting second won both of the T20Is played here this year. The side chasing the total has triumphed in nine of the 14 games played here at the MCG. This might be a low-scoring thriller because the par first innings score at this stadium has been 148 runs.
Weather forecasts predict that on October 23 (Sunday), Melbourne, Australia, will experience daytime highs of 18°C and nighttime lows of 13°C. Clouds will cover the sky, and showers are predicted for late afternoon and evening.
There is a 79% probability of rain throughout the day and a 97% likelihood at night. The match is slated for a nighttime start by local time, thus weather may interfere with play. Daytime humidity will be 79%, and nighttime humidity will be 87%.
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Date & Time: Oct 23rd at 1:30 PM IST and local time 07:00 PM AEDT
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar
Interesting Facts & Approaching Milestones
- India has an 8-3 edge over Pakistan in T20Is Head-to-Head.
- India has defeated Pakistan on 12 out of 13 occasions in the T20 and Cricket World Cup combined.
- India has defeated Pakistan on 5 out of 6 occasions in the T20 World Cup.
3 – KL Rahul (147) needs three sixes to complete 150 maximums across formats.
3 – Dinesh Karthik (47) needs three sixes to reach 50 maximums across formats.
40 – Mohammad Rizwan (2460) requires 40 runs to get to 2500 T20I runs.
93 – Suryakumar Yadav (93) is seven fours away from completing 100 fours in the T20I format.
8 – Babar Azam (342) is eight fours away from reaching 350 fours in T20 internationals.
3 – Shaheen Afridi (47) needs three scalps to get to 50 wickets in T20Is.
11 – Hardik Pandya (989) requires 11 runs to reach the landmark of 1000 runs in T20Is.
10 – Mohammad Rizwan (440) needs ten fours to get to 450 fours across formats.
2 – Virat Kohli (48) is two grabs away from completing 50 catches in T20Is.
5 – Fakhar Zaman (45) is five sixes away from reaching 50 maximums in the shortest international format.
1 – Mohammad Rizwan (149) is one catch away from reaching 150 catches in international matches.
3 – Dinesh Karthik (147) requires three grabs to complete 150 catches in international cricket.
6 – Hardik Pandya (244) needs six fours to get to 250 fours in international cricket.
6 – Fakhar Zaman (94) needs six sixes to get to 100 maximums in international matches.
39 – Rishabh Pant (961) is 39 runs away from reaching 1000 runs in T20 internationals.
Dream11 Team
