- By Himanshu Badola
- Sun, 09 Jun 2024 01:50 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2024: India and Pakistan will unfold a new chapter in their cricketing rivalry as they face off for the first time on American soil in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
The highly-anticipated match 19 of the tournament between India and Pakistan is scheduled to take place at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday, June 9.
The biggest cricketing rivalry might have slowed down over the past few years in terms of heated battles and controversies in the matches but the expectation and craze among the fans for the enormous clash have only increased with the passage of time.
The India vs Pakistan match on Sunday is expected to unfold some jaw-dropping action due to the contrasting starts to their respective campaigns in the ongoing tournament.
Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat in their first match against the USA and will be coming out all guns blazing in order to bounce back and keep their hopes alive to make it to the next round.
On the other hand, India will be looking to make it two in two and strengthen their position for the Super Eight qualification, having won the first match against Ireland at the same venue in New York.
Apart from the fans' expectations and unprecedented build-up to this massive match, there is the presence of huge star players in both teams who are expected to set up the tone of the match and decide the fate of the big results.
The rival clash has witnessed fierce battles between India's batters and Pakistan's bowlers over the years and a similar thing can be expected when both teams take the field on Sunday.
Pakistan's prominent pacers Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi have troubled India in the past but Virat Kohli has been the standout player in the biggest cricket rivalry over the last decade.
Take a look at key battles to watch out for in the mega IND vs PAK clash.
1. Virat Kohli vs Mohammad Amir
The Virat vs Amir will be the battle to watch out for first up as they will once again square up against each other and once again, the stakes will be high.
Amir has dismissed Kohli twice in white-ball cricket, but both times in ODIs including the crucial dismissal in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017.
However, the star Indian batter remained unbeaten against him in the two T20Is.
2. Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen gave rise to a new battle in the IND vs PAK match when he stunned Rohit with a toe-crushing yorker to dismiss him in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Meanwhile, the Indian captain has bounced back in style in the recent outings against the left-arm pacer and even looked in full control in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
He scored a crucial half-century in the opening match against Ireland.
3. Babar Azam vs Jasprit Bumrah
Babar Azam had a disappointing outing against the USA and will be looking to make it count against India but he will be up against the in-form Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah produced a Player of the Match performance versus Ireland and will be aiming to hurt Pakistan's top order with his pace, accuracy and lethal yorkers.
4. Hardik Pandya vs Shadab Khan
Pandya had shown glimpses of lethal hitting when he smashed Shadab Khan for back-to-back sixes in the Champions Trophy 2017 final.
India all-rounder also looked in good form against the spinners in the warm-up match against Bangladesh whereas Shadab had a difficult start with the ball, giving away 27 runs in the three overs he bowled in the first match against the USA.
5. Arshdeep Singh vs Mohammad Rizwan
Arshdeep Singh dismissed Rizwan in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The Indian pacer bowled brilliantly against Ireland as he picked up two wickets for 35 runs in his four overs.
On the other hand, Rizwan just scored 9 runs in Pakistan's first match against the USA.
The battle could unfold some mouth-watering action and set the tone for the match.