Asia Cup 2018: 4 factors that will determine the India vs Pakistan match

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team is all set to take on Pakistan on September 19th at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai at the Asia Cup 2018. Both the sides will be well-oiled with a 'warm up encounter,' if anything with Hong Kong, with all due respect to the nation.

Any India vs Pakistan encounter is highly regarded and this year’s Asia Cup encounter will be no less as the two sides meet for the first time since the final of the Champions Trophy last year at the Oval.

Out of the 12 times the sides have met in the Asia Cup, India has six victories while Pakistan claimed five, with one match being abandoned. The Asia Cup will also serve as a foresight for the World Cup in 2019 as India and Pakistan are the only two strong contenders in the tournament.

With Afghanistan and Bangladesh already qualifying makes it more probable that the two sides will meet once again for the final and hence the September 19 clash will be important for both the units. That aside, the sheer euphoria that surrounds an India vs Pakistan encounter will make fans all over the world sit up and take notice.

As strategies are forged, creases ironed and tactics developed, we look into few elements that may make a difference in this epic encounter.

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#1 Pakistan's home advantage

Pakistan enjoys great home advantage in Dubai

The UAE is Pakistan's home turf after their home country was deemed unfit to host games due to security concerns. The Pakistan Super League 2018 took place in UAE with 18 games taking place in the very stadium that India faces Pakistan in.

UAE has become Pakistan's den, as much as they would love to play home games in Pakistan. For instance, an unsuspecting Sri Lankan side faced the desert wrath as Pakistan claimed 8 victories in as many encounters -- 5 ODI and 3 T20.

Now India is definitely not Sri Lanka, but it will still be a steep challenge as they take Pakistan in their own 'make believe' backyard.

#2 The Virat Kohli void

Who will replace the World's No 1 ranked ODI batsman?

With full time skipper Virat Kohli rested for the series, Rohit Sharma has been awarded the reigns. An able skipper himself, who is assisted by the likes of MSD, Virat the skipper will be a lot less missed compared to Virat the batsmen.

The No. 1 ranked ODI batsman has left big shoes to be filled and several contenders are vying for the spot. KL Rahul, who was uncharacteristically made to play at 4 in recent ODI games, will feel more at home batting at 3, closer to his natural opener role.

Kedar Jadhav will also hope to push his way back into the ODI side. If MSD is slotted at 5, we might even get to witness Ambati Rayudu reclaiming a spot in the side that he once lost to the infamous Yo-Yo Test prior to the tour of England.

#3 Fighting fire with fire

India will be hoping to make a statement with its own bowling attack

Pakistan has always and will continue to rely on its bowling for winning games. They have an extremely potent pace attack with comeback legend Mohammad Amir and wrecker-in-chief during the 2017 Champions Trophy Hasan Ali and they will undoubtedly spearhead the Pakistani attack.

Pakistan's teen sensation Shadab Khan will add teeth to this attack with his leg spin and googlies. With a tally of 16 wickets from 11 games, he leads the wickets charts for Pakistan this year.

Perhaps for the first time ever, India's reply this time will also be with the ball. Bumrah, with his accurate yorkers, and Bhuvneshwar, with his swing, will raise serious problems for the Pakistani openers. Spin twins Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, with sensational 26 and 18 wickets each from 9 games in 2018, will be a major threat in these conditions.

#4 India has more unanswered questions

Taking over from Kohli, Rohit will have a lot of thinking to do over team structure.

It is no doubt that India is a very strong ODI side. However, there exists a certain ambiguity over the team's general character. The problem of choice still haunts the management as we continue to search for the ideal No 4.

Virat Kohli's absence will further burden the side to identify an ideal number 3 in reserve. Dhoni version 2 at number 5 will require new finisher(s) at 6 & 7. Can Dinesh Karthik prolong his run to take up that spot as he was promoted above Dhoni at 4 in the recent England series?

Ascertaining if Hardik Pandya is a bowling all-rounder or batting all-rounder will also determine if India persists with its much sought-after 5-bowler strategy. If India goes with a three-spinner attack, Axar Patel, whose last ODI was over a year ago, will be the only other option.

These are questions that will plague India ahead of the fixture as it continues to tweak the side for the optimum XI. Peculiar only to India, over abundance of talents and options has created a bitter-sweet issue.