INDIA
THE SQUAD
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
POWER POINT
India can boast of having the most perfect, complete team in this edition of the T20 World Cup. If at all any particular aspect of the team has to be picked to highlight its strength, it would be their batting. With talents like Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan in their arsenal, and skipper Surya, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube to complement them, it’s a scary line-up for opponent bowlers.
FAULT LINE
The bowling attack is a bit dependent on Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. The 32-year-old Bumrah needs to be handled with care for his fitness issues. If he gets injured, the bowling attack, especially the pace department, would suddenly look much weaker without him. Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and all-rounder Hardik are the other pace options in the squad.
HAWK EYE
Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan would be the most exciting prospects to watch out for, not just for India, but in the tournament as a whole. And if the two open together, get set for an explosion of runs from India’s top order.
INSIGHT
Can India be the first team to defend a T20 World Cup title successfully? Playing most of their matches at home, this surely is their best chance. They have the best team as well.
SINCE JULY 1, 2024:
• Played 41 Won 33 Lost 6 NR 2 Win% 80.49
• Powerplay batting SR 158.29
• Death overs (16-20) batting SR 164.56
• Powerplay economy 8.31
• Death overs economy 8.52
PAKISTAN
THE SQUAD
Salman Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq
POWER POINT
Pakistan’s bowling attack looks good. While Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi lead their pace attack, it’s the variety in their spin arsenal which catches attention. Along with mystery spinner Abrar Khan, Pakistan have Usman Tariq, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Saim Ayub give them good spin depth.
FAULT LINE
Batting remains a headache. Babar Azam continues to be the most prominent name in their batting unit and that sums up the story. Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan are exciting prospects though.
HAWK EYE
There has been a lot of talk about Usman Tariq’s unconventional bowling action. The spinner’s awkward pause clearly unsettles batters, even though some critics have questioned the legality of his action. It will be interesting see how he fares in his Cup.
INSIGHT
Playing all their group matches in Sri Lanka, Pakistan will have the advantage of exploiting familiar conditions in their favour. It remains to be seen if they can use it go deep into the tournament.
SINCE JULY 1, 2024:
• Played 46 Won 26 Lost 20 NR 0 Win% 56.52
• Powerplay batting SR 122.38
• Death overs (16-20) batting SR 149.86
• Powerplay economy 8.32
• Death overs economy 8.66
Stats: Mohandas Menon
