Asia Cup 2022: 3 Indian players who do not have a good T20I record vs Pakistan
Bilaterals between India and Pakistan have been scrapped for a while now owing to political tensions, consigning meetings between the two sides to the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup. The continental tournament will commence later this month, and the two arch-rivals will lock horns on August 28 as they look to build towards the marquee ICC event in Australia later this year.
Most Indian players have barely played any T20I cricket against Pakistan. Names like Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Deepak Hooda have never turned out for the Men in Blue in T20Is against Pakistan, while others like Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik have featured in only one game each.
However, a few experienced members of India's squad have played more matches against Pakistan, albeit without much success.
Here are three Indian players who do not have a particularly impressive record against Pakistan in T20I cricket.
#3 Ravindra Jadeja
Having played five T20Is against Pakistan, Ravindra Jadeja is one of the more experienced Indian players against the Men in Green. However, the all-rounder's record doesn't make for great reading.
In two innings from five matches, Jadeja has managed only 15 runs. His latest outing with the bat was in India's harrowing 2021 T20 World Cup loss by 10 wickets, where he labored to 13 off 15 balls and went wicketless in four overs. The left-arm spinner has scalped four wickets from five games, and while his economy rate hasn't been too bad, he hasn't had any performances of note.
Surprisingly, Jadeja has taken only one catch in these five games. He will need to improve his record against Pakistan immediately, with his place in the side under threat from Axar Patel.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin
Like Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin has played five T20Is against Pakistan. He has picked up only three wickets in these games at an average of 33.33. Although he too has a commendable economy rate, he hasn't been as penetrative as he'd have liked.
Too much criticism can't be directed at Ashwin, though, considering that India have won all five T20Is against Pakistan in which he has been part of the playing XI by fairly convincing margins. Nevertheless, the Men in Blue will want their premier off-spinner to make the most of his return to the shortest-format side on pitches that might provide some assistance.
#1 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma's T20I career against Pakistan started on a great note. He smashed a crucial unbeaten 30 in the 2007 T20 World Cup final, which they eventually won by five runs. However, since then, the current Indian skipper has failed to deliver against India's arch-rivals in T20Is.
Rohit has a highest score of 24 from his other six T20I innings against Pakistan, with as many as four single-digit scores to his name. Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi have accounted for his last three dismissals in similar fashion, with the batter's slight weakness against left-armers coming to the fore. These numbers are even more surprising when you take into account his record in ODIs against Pakistan - 720 runs at 51.42 with six fifties and two hundreds.
Rohit will need to be at the top of his game against Pakistan on August 28, both with the bat and with his leadership skills.