After the surprising events in Dallas on June 6, where the USA achieved a remarkable Super Over victory against a struggling Pakistan side, cricket fans may still be reeling from the upset. Now, Babar Azam’s team faces another formidable challenge against their arch-rivals, India. However, India holds the upper hand in their head-to-head encounters, having won five out of seven games.
Meanwhile, India, led by Rohit Sharma, enters the upcoming contest fresh off a comfortable eight-wicket victory against Ireland. The return to form of skipper Rohit, who scored 52 off 37 balls, and Hardik Pandya, who took 3 wickets for 27 runs, ahead of this highly anticipated match is a source of satisfaction for the team.
India’s bowling unit appears more assured, with players like Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, and Pandya delivering promising performances in their tournament opener. The resurgence of Rishabh Pant at No.3 has allowed Virat Kohli to open alongside Rohit.
Kohli, renowned for his batting prowess in T20 World Cup matches against Pakistan, boasts an impressive record of 308 runs in five matches against them, at a strike rate of 132.8. Should he find his rhythm on Sunday, it could spell trouble for Pakistan.
India’s batting lineup now features four left-handers – Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel – whose form in the lower middle order will be crucial for India’s success.
In contrast, Pakistan has displayed inconsistent performances in recent T20I matches, compounded by a series loss against England. Their traditional style of cricket requires a modern update to compete effectively.
Pakistan’s batting, led by captain Babar Azam, has been inconsistent, highlighting the need for assertive intent from their top-order batsmen in ICC tournaments.
The team’s selection choices have been uncertain, with the recall of Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim from retirement and the addition of Usman Khan to the squad. Despite these changes, the struggling form of Azam Khan poses further challenges for the Pakistan team.
Moreover, the appointment of South African veteran Gary Kirsten as their T20 coach adds an element of uncertainty, given his previous success with India in the ODI World Cup.
For Pakistan to succeed against India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday, a cohesive team effort will be essential.
How are the pitches at Nassau County?
In the three matches played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium thus far, only one batsman has managed to reach a half-century, with Rohit Sharma scoring 52 against Ireland.
The playing conditions in New York have been far from ordinary, characterized by excessive seam movement and bounce, leading to difficulties for batsmen and instances of players being struck by the ball. These challenging conditions prompted India to opt for a lineup featuring three genuine pacers and two spin-bowling all-rounders in Jadeja and Axar, instead of including Kuldeep Yadav.
“Looking at the pitch and conditions, we are open to make changes and do what is required at that point, but today was a four-seamer pitch and we still managed to get two spinners, who are all-rounders. It gives us balance heading into the game. It [Pakistan game] is going to be a kind of game where all of us need to contribute,” Rohit said after India defeated Ireland on June 5.
In terms of preparations, India is gearing up for challenging batting conditions ahead of their match against Pakistan on Sunday. However, this situation could potentially work in favor of Pakistani pacers, who have previously proven adept at disrupting India’s batting lineup.
With the pitches at Nassau County facilitating low-scoring matches, the pivotal battle is expected to primarily unfold between the batsmen of both teams. Taking this into consideration, India appears to be the clear favorites for the highly anticipated Super Sunday contest in New York.