Asia Cup 2018, Ind vs Pak: Upbeat India to take on unpredictable Pakistan

After the Bangladesh game on Friday, the Indian team looks balanced and the team management is unlikely to make any changes in the playing 11

In Match 3 of Super Four, India led by stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma will lock horns with Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan for the 2^nd time in Asia Cup 2018 at Dubai International Stadium in United Arab Emirates. Going into the match Indian cricket team is seen as a favourite given their clinical performance against Bangladesh and Pakistan in their previous two matches. The Indian team looks balanced and the team management is unlikely to make any changes in the playing 11. However, Rohit Sharma and company must be well aware of the unpredictable arch-rival’s penchant for surprising not just opponents but themselves, too.

To get India vs Pakistan Super FOUR clash live score updates, click here
 
The last time when the two sides met, the Sarfraz Ahmed-led Pakistan side had no answer to either Indian bowling attack or the batting as the issue became a completely one-sided affair with India dominating in each department of the game. Check India vs Pakistan Highlights here
 

Here are the playing 11 probables of both the teams:
 
India playing 11: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzuvedra Chahal.
 
Pakistan playing 11: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammed Amir/Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan

 
Dubai Internationl Stadium pitch condition
 
For India vs Pakistan Super 4 fixture, a fresh pitch will be used and curators have promised of a wicket with pace and bounce which is missing in the earlier games at Dubai Stadium, reports ESPNCricinfo. This comes as a welcome news for Pakistan who were undone by Indian spinners in their previous clash.

India team news
 
The stand-in captain Rohit will be eyeing another top-level show from his bowlers and batsmen, including himself. The skipper himself is in good touch with the bat, scoring 158 runs from three innings while opener Shikhar Dhawan, too, looks in fine form, putting 213 runs in three games. Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu have also delivered decent performances in the middle-order and India’s former captain M S Dhoni, who failed to fire against Hong Kong, looked good during his 33 off 37 balls against Bangladesh in last Super 4 fixture. In the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar took three wickets against both Bangladesh and Pakistan, while Bumrah scalped three against the former and two against the latter. Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal did not get any wickets against Bangladesh, but the duo managed to keep the pressure on the opposition. Part-time spinner Kedar Jadhav, who came as a surprise package against Pakistan on Wednesday after his 3/23, could also pose a major threat to Pakistan's batting.

 
Pakistan Team news
 
Pakistan will need to come up with something special to stop a spirited team India, who thrashed them in all departments in last encounter. Opener Fakhar Zaman has failed to deliver in the tournament so far and was dismissed for a duck on two previous occasions against India and Afghanistan and Pakistan may likely replace the left-hander. Babar Azam and opener Imam-ul-Haq have been amongst top run earners, with 146 and 132 runs respectively from three outings. Veteran Shoaib Malik seemed to have regained his touch with his 43-ball unbeaten 51 to help Pakistan to a three-wicket win over Afghanistan and showed what an experienced campaigner can do in crunch situtaions. The bowlers, however, have not been up to the mark as they allowed Afghanistan to put 257 runs on the board in 50 overs. None of the bowlers makes to the top-10 of the wicket-taking chart and need to dish out something extra against a fine Indian batting line-up.

 
Asia Cup 2018 India vs Pakistan match live streaming details
 
India vs Pakistan Super Four encounter, will be broadcast on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD. It will be available for live streaming on Hotstar app. Tatasky subscribers can also watch the match on Tatasky mobile app.
 
India vs Pakistan Toss prediction
 
Both the captains – Rohit Sharma and Sarfraz Ahmed— will look to win the toss and bowl first. Since, at Dubai International Stadium teams batting first won only 9 matches while team bowling first won 16 matches.

 
Here are the Asia Cup 2018 squads of both teams
 
India Asia Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar
 
Pakistan Asia Cup Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sarfraz Ahmed (Captain/ wicket-keeper), Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir