Asia Cup 2018: 3 battles to look forward to in the India-Pakistan match

India-Pakistan matches have produced high-quality professional rivalries for a very long time. Be it the Venkatesh Prasad- Aamir Sohail battle or the Sachin Tendulkar-Shoaib Akthar rivalry, every mini-encounter within an India-Pakistan match has been one to look out for.

Speaking of the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai, these three mini-battles within the game could have an impact on the outcome of the game.

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#1 Rohit Sharma - Mohammad Amir

India-Pakistan matches have never been short of a right-hand batsman vs left-hand bowler rivalry. In this Asia Cup, it is no different as it would see one of the best openers of this generation, Rohit Sharma facing off against Pakistani swing bowling master Mohammad Amir.

Though Amir has always had the upper hand over Rohit Sharma in the previous games, considering Rohit's red-hot form in this tournament, this contest would be one to watch out for. If Rohit can see off the opening spell from Amir, India would be in the driver's seat.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah - Babar Azam

Both Jasprit Bumrah and Babar Azam are the upcoming poster boys of their respective teams. While Bumrah has proved himself in almost every match that he has played for his country, Babar Azam has also scored a decent amount of runs in the recent past for Pakistan.

With Babar coming in to bat at no. 3, he will be expected to lead the Pakistani batting line-up till the end of the innings against a strong Indian bowling line-up. On the other hand, Bumrah would like to have a go at Babar within the first 10 overs of the match before the ball gets old.

This contest will impact the final outcome of the game as a "Man of the Match" performance from either of these two players would put the respective team in a comfortable position.

#3 Kuldeep Yadav - Shoaib Malik

A lot of matches are won in the middle overs and both Kuldeep Yadav and Shoaib Malik are expected to play a crucial part for their teams during the middle overs. With Shoaib Malik coming off an impressive batting performance against Afghanistan, Kuldeep will have his task cut out to remove the former Pakistani captain very early in his innings.

Though Kuldeep will have his spin twin Yuzvendra Chahal to help him out, it would be the prime responsibility of Kuldeep to negate any impact that Shoaib Malik can have on the match. This battle could be one of the most exciting and crucial mini-encounters within the match.

Apart from these one-on-ones, there would be other crucial rivalries within the match which can have an impact on this crucial game in Dubai.