The Indian cricket team will square off against Pakistan for the second time in Asia Cup 2022 when the two rivals lock horns in their first Super Four fixture at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 4.

Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting encounter in their opening match of the Asia Cup in Dubai on August 28.

Electing to field first, India rode on an all-round bowling show to bowl out Pakistan for 147 in their allotted 20 overs. Premier fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked four wickets for 26 runs while star all-rounder Hardik Pandya bagged three wickets for 25 runs.

In reply, Pandya’s unbeaten 17-ball 33 along with contributions from Ravindra Jadeja (35) and Virat Kohli (35) helped India chase down the total with just two balls to spare.

Having beaten Hong Kong by 40 runs in their second Group A fixture, India head into the Super 4 stage brimming with confidence after topping Group A standings with four points from two matches.

On the other hand, Pakistan thrashed Hong Kong by 155 runs in a virtual knockout Group A fixture to qualify for the Super 4 stage.

Ahead of the marquee Super 4 clash, India have suffered a massive blow as star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the ongoing Asia Cup due to a knee injury. Stand-by player Axar Patel has been drafted into the 15-member squad as a like-for-like replacement.

In-form Hardik Pandya will also return to the starting XI after being rested against Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will miss the services of pacer Shahnawaz Dahani, who has been ruled out of the India game due to a side strain. Fast bowler Hasan Ali is expected to replace Dahani in the playing XI.

Here are some of the talking points ahead of the mouth-watering Super Four clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan:

India vs Pakistan head-to-head in Asia Cup

With their win last Sunday, India have now won eight of their 10 matches against Pakistan in T20I cricket. Pakistan have secured just two victories.

Additionally, India have defeated Pakistan in both their T20I clashes in Asia Cup so far.

Furthermore, India have a dominant head-to-head record against Pakistan in Asia Cup history, winning nine of the 15 matches that they have clashed so far.

Going by the recent form and past head-to-head results, India will start as favourites to do the double over Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022.

Players to watch out for

Hardik Pandya was adjudged the Man of the Match during their group match against Pakistan last Sunday. Pandya bagged the huge wickets of Pakistan top-order batters Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah to help India restrict Pakistan to a below-par score. During the run-chase, Pandya played a match-winning knock of 33 not out off 17 balls, including hitting a six off Mohammad Nawaz to finish off the game in style. The former Mumbai Indians all-rounder is expected to play an important role for the Men in Blue once again.

Surykumar Yadav will be the batter to watch out for. The Mumbai Indians batter hammered an unbeaten 68 runs off just 26 balls against Hong Kong in their previous match in the ongoing tournament. Suryakumar Yadav’s match-winning knock was laced with six fours and as many sixes. The 31-year-old will look to continue his impressive form against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.

For Pakistan, wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan could be the standout player for his side. The 30-year-old scored another fifty against Hong Kong as he remained unbeaten on 78 off 57 balls to help Pakistan post a daunting total of 193/2 in their 20 overs.

The high-profile India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 Super Four match will start at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Sunday, September 4.

Come on, Paltan, let’s cheer for the Men in Blue!