The T20 World Cup 2022 enters the Super 12 stage and what a start we are going to have. Over 50,000 fans at Melbourne Cricket Ground in a World Cup match that involves India and Pakistan. That is certainly an invitation to look forward to. Both these teams have played thrice against each other in last one year and while Pakistan have had an edge over India in terms of results, I still feel India are favourites to win this epic contest.
Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Karthik in my XI but Rohit may think differently
India are a confident side at the moment with back-to-back series wins back home. I have been hugely impressed by Rohit Sharma’s leadership. I mean he has led so well. India have not lost any bilateral series under his captaincy. He generates a good feeling as a captain. For India to do well in the tournament, some things must work. For starters, their top three should be in good form and runs must continue to flow for KL Rahul. When he gets going, India are relaxed. It was nice to see him find his rhythm back in the last few games. Rohit, Virat Kohli have looked in good touch too which suggests that they are going to start the tournament well with the bat.
India know that they have to cope without Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, who are a massive loss for them. But I feel they can still make it in this match without these players.
I love the fact that Suryakumar Yadav is batting at No 4. That’s the perfect position for him. I have been saying this for a long time that he had been playing too far down the order. He should be an established number 4. It is finally very pleasing to see that they are sticking with him in that position. The form that he is in, one just cannot wait to watch him go about things in this World Cup. Watch out for him.
What stands India out are their X factor players. One clearly for me is Hardik Pandya. He creates a nice balance with his batting and bowling skills and has been doing a terrific job of late. One obvious question comes up whenever we discuss and Indian T20 XI is who to choose between Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik. It looks like Rohit Sharma will go with Karthik. If I were Rohit, I would go with Pant. I think he is a fantastic player and he is going to be playing at grounds where he has tasted success before. Not to forget he is a left-hander and with no Jadeja available in that late middle order, he becomes a must-do in my playing XI.
This is no sly on Karthik. I think he has done well enough to get into the side. Starting from his performances in the IPL, he’s played some fine knocks in India shirts too. He’s done the hard yard and has earned his place. India have logic behind his selection. They want him to play the role of a finisher, which could be a crucial move. But if it was my choice, I would not leave out Rishabh Pant, if he is fully fit. I think he is too good a player to get dropped.
When it comes to India’s bowling, I think I have said it a number of times that Arshdeep is a very good selection and I am glad he is in the mix to play. He also gives you the left arm option. Agreed that filling in the shoes of Bumrah is tough but I think Arshdeep will still do a good job at it. Harshal Patel has been a bit expensive and must come good with the ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar should play, will play a crucial role in absence of Bumrah. I think his experience will come to the fore in the big World Cup.
The only question mark for in the bowling department is Mohammed Shami. It has nothing to do with his quality. I would want to play him. He even looked in good form in that one over of the warm-up. In fact, he is most likely to enjoy the Australian conditions but the question is how can India get him into that final XI. There’s a stiff fight for places.
Pakistan have got a big job ahead of them
Now let’s look at Pakistan. They had a great series vs England at home, took a very good English lineup close. They backed it up with the win in the New Zealand tri-series. There are many pluses in their lineup and one of them is their opening combo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. They are as good as anyone in the world right now. These guys are in brilliant form at the moment which is a huge boost for Pakistan. If they fire, they give Pakistan a real chance.
And that’s what puts pressure on them as well. They have to fire because after them the batting lineup looks unsure and uncertain. Pakistan management has been mixing and matching for quite some time now but the uncertainty ceases to go away. They need to find a way to make this middle order play, from No 3 at the top to down to 6 and 7.
The good news is Shaheen Shah Afridi is back but the question is how match fit he is. It is not so easy to get back to your best days right after recovering from an injury. He is their X factor player. If he has a great day, Pakistan will have a great day. They have plenty of resources with bat and ball. Someone like Shadab Khan. He can play a crucial role with his all-round skills.
There’s even Mohammad Nawaz. Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah are there to support him and they are very good at what they do. But I must reiterate this, if Pakistan want to beat India, Shaheen has got to be at his best. So yes, for me, India start as favourites. Pakistan have got a big job ahead of them against this very strong Indian unit. But we know that with all these World Cup games and particularly in an India vs Pakistan contest, anything can happen.
