3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Pakistan, Match 19 of 2024 T20 World Cup ft. Virat Kohli vs Mohammad Amir
After a long wait, India and Pakistan are set once again to lock horns at an ICC event, this time at the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County Cricket Club in New York on Sunday, June 9. The two teams have had quite a contrasting start to their respective campaigns.
The Men in Blue steamrolled Ireland by eight wickets in New York, while Pakistan suffered a shock defeat in the Super Over against the USA in Dallas. India have also won six out of the seven T20 World Cup encounters against Pakistan so far, suggesting that Rohit Sharma and his men should start as favorites.
However, over the years, the rivalry between the two teams and the spectacle that it creates for the game has shown that it is all about which set of players hold their nerves and get the job done for their respective teams.
With some quality players on display on both sides, let's take a look at three of the massive match-ups that could decide the fate of the game:
#3 Babar Azam vs Jasprit Bumrah
The sample space of Babar Azam's face off against Jasprit Bumrah is pretty small. The Pakistan captain has scored 13 runs off 10 balls against India's ace speedster without getting dismissed. But the current form suggests that Bumrah could have a field day.
Babar struggled for timing against the USA where he scored 44 runs off 43 balls and had a pretty poor powerplay. If India unleash Bumrah with the new ball against Babar with the form that the pacer is in, it could turn out to be a fascinating watch on how the Pakistan captain manages to up the ante.
#2 Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
Pakistan have won just once against India in the T20 World Cup and that was during the 2021 edition when Shaheen Afridi ran through India's top order. That included a sensational inswinger first-up that sent back Rohit Sharma for a golden duck.
Shaheen has had some injuries post that and has arguably not been the bowler that he was before. Rohit also dominated him and the other Pakistan pacers when the two teams met at the ODI World Cup last year. However, T20 is a different format and Shaheen will know that he has a wood over the veteran opener.
Will Rohit hold himself back against Shaheen like he tried in the 2022 T20 World Cup, or will he continue the ultra-aggressive brand of cricket that he played in the ODI World Cup? Time will tell.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Mohammad Amir
Pakistan will have painful memories of Virat Kohli haunting them two years ago in Melbourne with that magnificent 82* that helped India snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They will know that if they want to beat the Men in Blue, they need to get rid of Kohli early.
Now opening for India, Kohli will probably have to face Mohammad Amir upfront, a battle that has been quite fascinating in the past. One of their best face-offs came during the 2016 Asia Cup, where Kohli was matching Amir's quality bowling with his sensational strokeplay.
Amir has dismissed Kohli twice in ODI cricket and has conceded just 16 runs from 19 balls in T20Is. However, the left-arm pacer recently came out of retirement, and it will be interesting to see if he can hit the same levels that could trouble Kohli.