IND vs PAK 19th Match Prediction

IND vs PAK Team Previews

India

India has played one match at the T20 World Cup so far, against Ireland, on a tricky surface at New York. That ended up being an easy victory with a dominant bowling performance the headline but perhaps the exposure that India got of playing at the venue is more important. 

We thought India read the conditions perfectly in the previous match and picked the right combination. They bolstered their batting lineup to number 8 by including both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. They also have several left-handed batters and six to seven bowling options if you count Shivam Dube as well. 

Against Pakistan, we expect India to open with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli once more. Both players have shown attacking intent and will no doubt try to maximize their strike rates again. Virat Kohli has scored 488 runs against Pakistan in 10 T20 internationals at an average of 81.33. With his form sparkling in the IPL, we would not bet against him putting in another strong performance. 

Rohit Sharma and Rishab Pant looked in good touch during the previous match while the presence of Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya gives India a powerful middle order. Add Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel to this lineup and India has an enviable batting depth. 

SKY has threatened a big innings against Pakistan a couple of times now but has yet to perform. His unconventional style of batting could be very hard to stop. He is also a master of using the pace to his advantage. He is someone we would consider betting on to do well in this match.

The bowling unit is unlikely to change seeing as how the fast bowlers have profited at New York so far. Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh should continue to find a place in the playing eleven. Arshdeep's ability to bring the ball into the batters as well as Bumrah's hard-lengths are going to be very tough to combat. 

We saw the USA team use its left-arm spinners to tie down Babar Azam and that could be a tactic that India is tempted to use as well. 

Pakistan

Pakistan would be devastated after its loss to the USA in its opening match of the T20 World Cup 2024. All of the best betting sites had Pakistan as favorites to win even late into regulation time, showing how everyone expected the men in Green to find a way to win against a low-ranked associate cricketing nation. 

Now, the pressure is on Pakistan. It can still qualify if it loses to India but the task will become very difficult and leave a lot of things to other results.

So, how can Pakistan beat India?

We think the best chance it has is through the brilliance of its bowling lineup. Naseem Shah was exceptional in the previous match and we think he will pose the biggest threat. Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, and Haris Rauf form what is perhaps the most dangerous fast-bowling unit in this tournament. 

Of course, Pakistan is struggling with its choice of spinner seeing how Shadab Khan has struggled for any kind of form. Perhaps, in an ideal situation, Pakistan would be able to pick Imad Wasim in place of Shadab Khan to bolster its side. 

We don't think it is realistic to play Abrar Ahmed in the lineup because that will compromise the batting too much. Abrar can only play in place of one of the fast bowlers. 

Pakistan's batting is in a tough spot right now. Babar Azam is the captain and we don't see him changing the batting order just after one loss. He and Rizwan will continue to open with perhaps no option but to show more intent and fearlessness. 

Usman Khan had a brilliant PSL and can be the X factor for Pakistan but is still a bit untested against top quality bowlers in difficult conditions. Fakhar Zaman is the biggest threat to the Indian bowlers. He can take down the left-handed spinners, is comfortable against pace, and has a history of success against India. 

He is wasted at number four according to us but that is unlikely to change. 

Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, and Iftikhar Ahmed don't strike fear in any opposition's heart but that is the best Pakistan has. They are at their best when the team has given them a strong platform to perform. If they come in early, we can see them struggling to combat the Indian bowlers.