T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs PAK: Here's why pacer could dominate in New York

Pacers are going to be the dominant factor in the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match on Sunday (June 9) at the Nassau International Cricket Stadium in Long Island, New York, feels former India cricketer Aakash Chopra.

Former India Test cricketer and a well-known cricket expert, Aakash has given his analogy after looking at the three games (India vs Bangladesh warm-up match, Sri Lanka vs South Africa and India vs Ireland).

Speaking on JioCinema’s sports show ‘AAKASHVANI’, the 46-year-old said, "When you look at Pakistan’s bowling and take into account the pitch conditions as well if you are a Pakistan fan, you will be very happy."

Why would Pakistan fans be happy with the New York pitch?

Despite Pakistan starting their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a disappointing note, India vs Pakistan could bring cheers to the Pakistanis. Talking about the reason behind Pakistan fans' happiness, Aakash said, "If the pitch has a little bit of spice and the ball is swinging left or right, then they will be thinking that they can win this matchup in the powerplay."

He also said that with two left-arm swing bowlers, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir, Pakistan surely have the edge. India's Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been reined in by left-arm swing bowlers who could bring the ball back into them.

Check ICC T20 World Cup 2024 full schedule, match timings (IST) here

Can Kuldeep Yadav be included in India playing 11?

Kuldeep Yadav has been a great nemesis of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. But would that mean India would change their playing 11 combinations to try and include him, probably in place of Axar Patel?

Chopra said, "I really want Kuldeep Yadav to play but I don’t see him being picked for this match."

Check ICC T20 World Cup 2024 points table here

Will Pakistan play all four pacers?

Pakistan have a great pace bowling quartet in Afridi, Aamir, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Chopra believes that they should play all of them against India. Although against the US, Afrid and Aamir looked ordinary, while Raif and Naseem were only good in patches.

 "I think Pakistan should play all four fast bowlers. If they play, then they can cause trouble for the Indian batters. The expected total for this venue seems conservative, around 125–130 or 150–160 towards the higher end, but it doesn’t seem like a 200-run game. And these kinds of matches suit Pakistan," he said. 

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