Asia Cup 2022: Predicting the top 3 wicket-takers in India vs Pakistan clash

Team India and Pakistan are gearing up to take on each other in the Asia Cup 2022 clash in Dubai on Sunday (August 28). Less than a year ago, the sides met at the same venue during the T20 World Cup. Pakistan proved too good for India on that occasion, hammering the Men in Blue by 10 wickets. Following the win, Pakistan also broke the jinx of never having beaten India in a World Cup match.

In the brief history of the Indo-Pak T20Is, the arch-rivals have clashed nine times. Team India have the upper hand in the rivalry, having claimed victory in six of those contests. Pakistan have tasted wins in only two T20Is against the Indians. The two Asian giants played out a tie during the 2007 World Cup group clash in Durban. India emerged victorious in that match too after winning the bowl-out.

While India and Pakistan will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi, respectively, in Asia Cup 2022, we predict three bowlers who could be the leading wicket-takers in the high-voltage match.

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#1 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal during the tour of England. Pic: Getty Images

Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is a proven match-winner in the T20I format. In fact, he is the country’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. In 62 matches, he has claimed 79 wickets at an average of 23.9 and a strike rate of 17.7.

Chahal has been in excellent form with the ball in recent months. He claimed seven wickets in three matches during the ODI series in England and four scalps in two T20Is, constantly troubling the hosts. In the ODI series against the West Indies, he picked up seven wickets, including a four-fer, in three games.

Ever since making a comeback to the Indian team after being dropped for the T20 World Cup last year, Chahal has been a different bowler. The leggie is bowling with a lot more purpose and his rhythm too is back.

He will pose a massive danger to Pakistan's batters. Chahal versus Pakistan's top and middle order could be the defining battle of the clash.

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#2 Haris Rauf

Haris Rauf in action during the T20 World Cup. Pic: Getty Images1

In Afridi’s absence, fellow Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf is expected to lift his game. Over the last year or so, Rauf has played a supporting role to Afridi. But with the latter ruled out due to injury, the onus will be on Rauf to take up the role of senior fast bowler.

Rauf came to prominence with some impactful performances during the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. He has a decent T20I record, having claimed 42 wickets in 35 matches at an average of 24.8 and a strike rate of 17.5. Like most good Pakistani fast bowlers, he has a good yorker and a bouncer.

Rauf will go into the Asia Cup 2022 contest against India with some good performances under his belt. He recently returned with figures of three for 67 and three for 16 in the two ODIs he played against the Netherlands in Rotterdam recently.

Irrespective of the opposition, success always boosts a player’s confidence, and Rauf will look to build on his growing reputation against India.

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#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in excellent rhythm lately. Pic: Getty Images

Until a year back, it seemed like Bhuvneshwar Kumar might not be in India’s scheme of things for the T20 World Cup in Australia. He suffered multiple injury issues and looked ragged on his return to international cricket. Slowly but surely, he has worked his way back up the ladder.

Bhuvneshwar’s experience under pressure has come to the fore on a number of occasions in recent matches. He came up with a superb display of four for 13 in the Cuttack T20I against South Africa in June this year. Although the effort came in a losing cause, the medium-pacer’s mastery with the ball was very much on show.

He also starred with wonderful figures of three for 15 in the second T20I during the tour of England last month. Jos Buttler and Jason Roy were completely at sea as Bhuvneshwar got the ball to move around prodigiously.

Of course, there won’t be as much movement on offer in the UAE. However, with the kind of skills that the 32-year-old possesses, with both the new and the old ball, he could be a major threat to Pakistan’s batters in the Asia Cup 2022 encounter.

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