top-order
- India: It was a matter of relief for India that Abhishek Sharma practiced for a long time in the nets on Saturday evening, which is a sign of his recovery. He will open with Ishan Kishan, who has been scoring runs at a strike rate of 200 plus since his return to the team. After these two young stalwarts, Tilak Verma is at number three. Tilak, who was the hero of the last victory against Pakistan, will be desperate to deliver a memorable performance once again.
- Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan is currently the most important name in Pakistan’s top order, who is the only Pakistani batsman included in the top 5 batsmen in the ICC T20 rankings. Sahibzada has played three matches against India and his performance in all three has been good. He seems to be in rhythm in this tournament also. Apart from him, Saim Ayub and captain Salman Aga present in the top order can give the team a fast start in the powerplay.
middle order
- India: India’s middle order has captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has returned to his old form. There is also Hardik Pandya whose hitting has his own swag. Hardik performs at a different level against Pakistan. His bowling average, economy rate and strike rate against this opposition are better than his overall T20 International figures.
- Pakistan: Babar Azam is present in the middle order and has the ability to handle the innings even after initial setbacks. Although his strike rate is low. Shadab Khan can overcome this flaw with his power hitting. Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz are also there.
bowling attack
- India: Jasprit Bumrah was the one who had the power to single-handedly destroy the opposition team in the Indian attack, now mysterious spinner Varun Chakraborty has also joined him. Apart from this, India has Hardik who always bowls well against Pakistan.
- Pakistan: Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken 15 wickets in his first over in T20I since 2024. The spin quartet of Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz can also be lethal.
Captains’ opinion on handshake
The captains of both India and Pakistan teams have expressed their opinion on the handshake issue. Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav said, ‘Now wait for 24 hours for this. Why pay so much attention to this? We have come to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will consider all these decisions later tomorrow. Wait. Eat well and sleep. Whereas Pakistan captain Salman Ali Aga said that ‘my personal opinion probably does not matter. But cricket must be played the way it was always meant to be played. It’s up to them to decide what to do. We will see about this tomorrow.
Weather and pitch condition
There is a danger of rain in this high voltage match. In Colombo, where R Premadasa Stadium is located, 50 to 70 percent rain is predicted on Sunday. The temperature can go up to a maximum of 30-31 degrees. Talking about the pitch, the strategy of ‘spin to win’ on Premadasa has been beneficial for the team. A total of 173 wickets have fallen in the 15 T201 matches played here since 2021. Spinners have taken 92 wickets, which is 53.17 percent of the total wickets. Pacers have 81 wickets in their name. A total of three matches have been played here in the current tournament. In all three, the team batting first has won.
Pakistan will benefit from reaching first!
Pakistan has been in Colombo since the beginning of this World Cup and can get the benefit of playing two matches in the environment here. He is familiar with the circumstances. Even if the ground was different. Pakistan’s journey has also been short, while India had to reach here by flight in a span of just three days after playing their last match. Whether it has an impact or not remains to be seen.
