T20 World Cup 2022: The T20 World Cup has begun with some breathtaking matches and some nail-biting competition between the sides going on. The T20 festival of the cricket is being played in Australia and the round 1 matches are currently being held in Hobart and Geelong. The Super 12 stage begins on October 22 and India will have a crack at Pakistan on October 23. Ahead of the much-awaited high-octane clash between the two giants, let's take a look at the two teams.
Biggest strengths for India
For the Indian cricket team, their batting has been the main strength for the last few times. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are making their bat talk and troubling the opposition. Suryakumar Yadav is the No.2 ranked batter and has been in fabulous touch this year. He has amassed over 800 runs in 2022 and has turned some matches upside down with his aggressive style of batting.
Another big boost for the Indian team is the fact that Virat Kohli is back in form. Kohli, who was not amongst runs for a long time has found back his mojo after hitting the 71st ton in the Asia Cup. He also scored a few half-centuries in T20Is in recent times. The former Indian skipper also enjoys batting against Pakistan. In the nine innings that Kohli has appeared in against the arch-rivals in the shortest format, the right-handed batter has scored 406 runs at a brilliant average of 67.66. He also has 4 fifties against them.
To add on, the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have also risen on many occasions in recent times and have helped the team score big. The fact of Mohammed Shami bowled a brilliant spell against Australia in the warm-up match will help India in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Other than Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin have also been crucial for India.
Biggest strengths for Pakistan
For the Pakistan side, it is their opening pair which has been the torchbearer for the boys in green. Mohammad Rizwan is in brilliant touch in the current year. The right-handed batter is currently the No.1 T20I batter in the World and is also the leading run scorer in the shortest format in the World. Rizwan has amassed 821 runs in 18 innings and leads the chart from Suryakumar Yadav.
Also, Babar Azam is back among runs after having a quiet team in the Asia Cup 2022. He scored a brilliant ton against England in a home T20I series and has a few more fifties in his name. The fact that Azam and Rizwan took away the match from India in their previous meeting in the T20 World Cup adds to the worries for the Indian team.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi has also made a scintillating comeback from an injury break and has shown his best in the warmup game against Afghanistan.
Biggest weaknesses for India
The Indian cricket team has not seen great days in the recent past in the bowling department. The Asia Cup 2022 and the recent T20I home series against Australia and South Africa have been the events where the bowling looked a bit flat. They leaked runs in the death overs and a few matches went away from them. Also, India does not have a left-handed batter in the top five. In the previous T20 World Cups, left-handed batters have left an impact on the game and have helped their team win matches. Whether it was Yuvraj Singh for India in 2007 or David Warner and Matthew Wade for Australia in 2021, left-handers have felt their presence in the tournament. Ravindra Jadeja is out of the World Cup and Rishabh Pant's place is not settled in the team. This does not give variety to the Indian team to bring a left-right combination and hamper the opposition's plans.
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Biggest weaknesses for Pakistan
The Pakistan team played in the knockouts of the Asia Cup 2022 and T20 World Cup 2021. Their opening batting and fast bowling have been on fire on most occasions. However what trouble the boys in green is their middle-order batting. The openers have scored a major amount of runs while the team has failed to spark when they get out early. The likes of Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah have not performed frequently and the big power hitters Asif Ali and Mohammad Nawaz have also not been fired consistently.
Also, the boys in green don't boast a strong fielding attack. They have missed chances on a few occasions and the game has turned away from them due to that.
When two former winners, when two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will have a go at each other in the marquee tournament, there is nothing less expected than a cricketing blockbuster.
