Cricket’s one of the most engrossing rivalries has had a diluted look in recent years. An India-Pakistan contest nowadays doesn’t bring with it the thrill of the unknown anymore.

Quality-wise and on form, India are the overwhelming favourites and it’s not an overstatement.

But even then, the hype surrounding a cricketing encounter between the two arch-rivals ceases to die down. Besides, with Sunday’s Asia Cup group-stage contest in Dubai being the first meeting between the two nations since the Pahalgam terror attacks and Operation Sindoor, there’s an added layer of tension that surrounds the game.

Most of the players of both sides claim they remain unaffected by the outside noise. Obviously, the on-field happenings are of a bigger concern for the players, but if the fans of both teams come out in good numbers at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, the electrifying atmosphere could well be a factor.

India will be much more confident about its ability and capacity. Yes, their tournament opener against the UAE turned out to be easier than expected, but what also stood out was the confidence in the Indian players’ strides.

Agreed, Pakistan too began their campaign with a big 93-run victory over Oman. But precisely, it’s Pakistan’s bowlers who fashioned the win by such a big margin. Their batting group didn’t quite have the desired impact.

The conditions in Dubai are unlikely to change significantly, and the task of the Pakistani batsmen will only get tougher against the Indian attack. Even if Jasprit Bumrah goes wicketless in the Powerplay, India can rely on their spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy to make the opposition sweat in the middle overs.

On paper, the Pakistani batsmen, like Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, captain Salman Ali Agha and the promising Hasan Nawaz, are expected to fare better than the UAE batsmen. But do they have the wherewithal to tackle Kuldeep and Chakravarthy?

Variations-wise, Kuldeep has undergone a marked improvement over the past year. Importantly, he seems to have got a measure of how to bowl on the Dubai pitches, something that was also seen during the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

For the current Pakistan batting group, which is short on experience as well, tackling Kuldeep’s wrong’uns, top spinner and the straighter one on such two-paced tracks will be a huge task.

Even if the Indian bowlers don’t have a good day at the office on Sunday, they have a batting line-up that is capable of compensating. There may still be a discussion or two over Sanju Samson’s position in the batting order, and if the same XI that trounced the UAE should be retained. But the explosiveness of opener Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and captain Suryakumar Yadav gives India an unmissable edge.

Pakistan will wish for a dream spell from Shaheen Afridi with the new ball to neutralise Abhishek and the rest of India’s top four. Shaheen hasn’t been at his sharpest best of late. Will the electrifying atmosphere of an Indo-Pak contest charge him up?