T20 World Cup 2021: 3 Indian players who will be playing against Pakistan for the first time
India will begin their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign against fierce rivals Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai. Whenever the subcontinent neighbors face off, tensions are bound to flare. The electric atmosphere created by the crowds and the pressure of expectations often turn the cricket stadium into a gladiator’s arena when India and Pakistan step onto the pitch.
The rivalry has often been described as unparalleled in cricket by several players, both current and former and belonging to the two countries or otherwise. One needs to have great temperament and the ability to stay professional amid all the drama to succeed in such situations.
While earlier India and Pakistan players went up against each other quite often, ever since 2008, the two countries only face each other in multi-team tournaments, with the BCCI stopping bilateral competitions.
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So it is often the case that several players find themselves in a high-voltage India-Pakistan clash for the first time in the middle of a big tournament, be it the World Cup, T20 World Cup or the Champions Trophy.
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Pakistan, of course, are yet to beat India in a World Cup match -- be it in T20s or the 50-over World Cup.
The current Indian squad has plenty of players who have played and put in match-winning performances against Pakistan. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have all faced the neighbors.
However, there are some players who may end up playing their first match against Pakistan on Sunday. Here are three India players who have not faced Pakistan so far:
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
India’s latest batting sensation, Suryakumar Yadav, got his international break rather late at the age of 30. However, he made an instant impact in his debut T20 International (T20I) series against England earlier this year.
Yadav had been impressive in flashes in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for several seasons, but after making the move to Mumbai Indians (MI), he became a different beast. Pushed higher up the order than at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Suryakumar found a different level of consistency and added a few gears to his batting.
This saw him get his first international call-up, which was followed by a place in the squad for the T20 World Cup. IPL 2021 was not the best of seasons, but SKY, as he is popularly called, found form in the latter stages of the tournament and also looked in good nick in India’s warm-up matches.
On Sunday, he will play his first match against Pakistan.
#2 Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has been playing international cricket since 2017, but the explosive wicketkeeper-batter has never gone up against Pakistan.
In the 2019 World Cup, Pant was drafted into India’s squad after an injury to Shikhar Dhawan, but was left out of the playing XI when they faced Pakistan in the league stage. India went on to win the match comfortably, thanks to a Rohit Sharma century and a quick 77 from Virat Kohli.
Pant also looked in good touch in the one warm-up match he got to bat in, and is expected to start for India as a key part of their middle order.
Pant led the Delhi Capitals to the playoffs in IPL 2021 and will look to carry on his good form into the tournament for India.
#3 Varun Chakravarthy
India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy made his international debut during the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka in June and has been picked for the T20 World Cup after two impressive seasons in the IPL.
Chakravarthy is among those who will have his first match against Pakistan if he is picked to play on Sunday.
The wily KKR spinner has been difficult to pick and has been especially good in the UAE. He could well end up being India’s X-factor in the T20 World Cup.