Asia Cup 2018, India vs Pakistan: Preview, Predicted XI, Winning Percentage

PREVIEW:

The arch-rivals, Pakistan and India are all geared up to face each other for the thirteenth time in the Asia Cup 2018 at Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.

Both the teams have won their first match against the same opposition Hong Kong, though Pakistan got a few days to rest while India is playing for the second straight day.

As the clash between the duo remains a high-tension encounter, cricket pundits are taking to numbers to predict multiple angles of the match. However, the game of cricket undoes all predictions and uncertainties most of the times.

The two teams met each other the last time in the Champions Trophy, where India won the first match while Pakistan won the all-important final.

In the tournament so far,

Pakistan looked more than strong in the first match by posting a thumping 8-wicket victory against Hong Kong while India, against the same 'minnow' opposition, won closely by 26 runs.

In the points table, Pakistan is on top with a healthy NRR of +2.750 and India stands second with a NRR of +0.520, while both teams have two points each.

PREDICTED XI:

PAKISTAN:

Pakistan Net Sessions

Bowling has always been Pakistan's strategy and that was quite visible in the first match as they bundled out Hong Kong on a mere 116 runs.

They played with three mainstream pacers viz Mohammad Amir, Hassan Ali and Usman Khan. Usman was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped a 3-wicket haul. They have Junaid Khan too, but they might opt for the same bowling line-up against India.

In batting, Imam Ul Haq was the standout performer, scoring 50 not out, while Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam departed, scoring 24 and 33 respectively.

The other batsmen playing are Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Asif Ali and all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Shadab Khan.

They will probably stick to the same playing XI, owing to the great outing they had against Hong Kong.

Playing XI: Sarfraz Ahmed (C), Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf.

INDIA:

India hadn't the expected good outing against Hong Kong in the first match as the latter played some exceptional cricket. At one stage, when they were none for 173, it seemed like they might make history by trouncing India.

However, India made a good comeback, winning the match by 26 runs in the end. The batsmen, though, did a good enough job but it was bowling that looked on a lower note.

India played with three pacers and two spinners, among which Khaleel Ahmed was making his debut while Shardul Thakur too was new to the side.

Both of them might get replaced by bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya against Pakistan. Bumrah's inclusion will strengthen India's bowling line-up while Pandya will explore more options for India in batting and bowling.

The third change India can make is bringing Manish Pandey/Kl Rahul in for Dinesh Karthik. Karthik, though, has done well enough recently, but India might try to play a more dependable batsman for the important Pakistan encounter.

Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Bhuveneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

WINNING PERCENTAGE

LAST 5 ODIs:

Pakistan has won all of the last five matches they played and that too, with quite big margins. However, the opposition was Zimbabwe (4) and Hong Kong (1).

India, on the other hand, has won three out of their last five matches, including one each against South Africa, England and one against Hong Kong.

HEAD TO HEAD:

These two teams have played 12 matches against each other in the Asia Cup. India has won 6 and Pakistan 5 while one has been abandoned.

Now the final percentage: Considering the last five matches, current form, and record in Asia Cup: Pakistan is ahead of India, making the percentage:

PAKISTAN- 60%

INDIA- 40%