IND vs PAK 2022: 3 players who can score most runs
Team India are set to begin their 2022 T20 World Cup campaign with a high-octane encounter against Pakistan at the MCG on Sunday. The two teams have already met twice this year, with each team winning a game.
While there's very little to choose between the two sides as they are full of match-winners, there are some world-class batters on show.
Naturally, there will be comparisons drawn between the likes of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, and between Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammad Rizwan.
If these batters fire, it will be quite a spectacle, and it could also put their team in the driver's seat to clinch the bragging rights.
On that note, let's take a look at three batters who could make a difference on Sunday:
#3 Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan dedicates his ICC Player of the Month award for September to the Pakistan fans 🏅
#T20WorldCup
Although his strike rate may sometimes come under the scanner, Mohammad Rizwan is undoubtedly one of the most prolific run-scorers in T20Is at the moment.
He topped the run-scoring charts in 2021 in T20Is and has continued that momentum to become the No. 1 ranked T20I batter in the ICC Rankings.
Team India have already realized how crucial Rizwan is to his team as it was his knock that helped the Men in Green win the last time the two teams met in Dubai.
His quick starts give captain Babar Azam the breathing space to set himself and he has the ability to bat through the innings.
He is coming into the T20 World Cup in some stunning form and Team India might be in huge trouble if they don't get him out early.
#2 Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav show, this is just incredible consistency, fifty from 32 balls. https://t.co/dzsQuwSrm4
Speaking of ICC Rankings, the second-ranked player on the list as of now is Suryakumar Yadav.
The 32-year-old, in just about 18 months of his international career, has arguably grown into India's most important T20 batter.
'SKY' is also in the form of his life, having smashed back-to-back fifties against Western Australia and Australia in the warm-up games.
A rare blip in his otherwise stunning T20I career so far has been that he hasn't been able to perform well in the three matches that he played against Pakistan.
Yadav would definitely be hungry to walk out on one of the biggest stages and express himself with his own unique shots.
#1 Virat Kohli
You can just tell that Virat Kohli is again enjoying his cricket. And it’s so heartening to see. @Sportskeeda
#T20WorldCup #INDvPAK https://t.co/6pC1eoqm8q
When you talk about India vs Pakistan and ICC events, you inevitably have to talk about star batter Virat Kohli.
It is no secret that Kohli has sensational numbers in T20Is in Australia, having scored 451 runs in just 10 innings.
But the numbers improve further when he faces Pakistan in this format, as he has already scored 406 runs from just nine innings at a sensational average of 67.66.
Having regained his form in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, it almost feels as if the stars are aligning for Kohli to produce another incredible performance.