Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan and former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram Engaged in a Plank Challenge ahead of the India vs Pakistan game in the Super 4s of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. 56-year-old Wasim is still one of Pakistan’s fitness cricketers, although 37-year-old Irfan Pathan defeated the Pakistani commentator in the Plank Challenge.
Here is the video-
The Group A match was an amusing affair between the two teams, who went in the final over before Hardik Pandya, after his spell of 3/25, took India to long-on while chasing a tense 148-run target. Many fans had announced another India-Pakistan meeting to be held in the Super Four stage, and the cricket gods made it come true.
On Saturday, Afghanistan will be seen playing their first Super Four match against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. But there is another India-Pakistan match in Dubai on Sunday that will be eyeing fans from both the countries and around the world.
The atmosphere at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE amid the scorching heat will rise a couple of degrees higher with the biggest rivalry in the world of cricket when it resumes on Sunday.
From the Indian point of view, they will be pleased to see how Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Suryakumar Yadav make a comeback, with Virat Kohli stepping up to lead the team to victories in matches against Pakistan and Hong Kong. But there are still some concerns for India ahead of Sunday’s big game against Pakistan.
KL Rahul has been completely out since his return from a prolonged injury. He was dismissed for a first-ball duck against Pakistan and in the match against Hong Kong, he struggled to time the ball, resulting in 36 off 39 balls. India would look to get a big score for skipper Rohit Sharma after two indifferent outings in the match, which deviated from the team’s over-attack batting approach.
Avesh Khan’s inconsistency in the bowling attack will put a question mark. He had figures of 1/19 in his two overs against Pakistan. But against Hong Kong, he was unsure, conceding 53 runs in his four overs.
Also, with no Ravindra Jadeja for the rest of the tournament, who had a decent promotion to number four against Pakistan, India have a selection question. They need to see if they will still retain Rishabh Pant in their playing XI for their left arm or include Deepak Hooda or Axar Patel, who is similar to Jadeja.
Pakistan, on the other hand, defeated Hong Kong by 155 runs to enter the Super Four stage. His fast bowlers and spinners got wickets before Khushdil Shah put the finishing touches while Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman scored half-centuries. But his concern still remains about the top order.
There is no doubt that Rizwan, Zaman and captain Babar Azam achieved great success while chasing the target. But batting first isn’t their strongest suit, especially when the top three use too many deliveries, leaving little time for someone like Khushdil, Iftikhar Ahmed and Asif Ali to apply the finishing touches.
Asia Cup 2022 is now at a stage where no team is light and cannot be underestimated. One defeat and the chances of reaching the finale on September 11 will be in trouble. India and Pakistan are well aware that even one wrong move in the Super Four can jeopardize their well-planned plans for the finale.
As the tournament progresses into the final four stages, the excitement level will be high when India and Pakistan take the field on Sunday. One might expect that this time too the campaign matches up with the on-field action, once again, as it did seven days ago.
full squad
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Shahnawaz Dahani and Osman Qadir.