Cricadium Staff 
The fans are deprived of the matches between the 2 neighbors and all of a sudden, within a span of 5 days, it’s India vs Pakistan once again. Well, that’s not all, if all goes according to the plan, these 2 teams will meet for the 3rd time if they qualify for the final of the Asia Cup 2018.
Both teams marked the start of the Super 4 stage on the same day. India took on Bangladesh while Pakistan faced Afghanistan. Both emerged victorious but in contrasting manners. Where India absolutely thrashed Bangladesh, Pakistan was pushed to the limits by the Afghans.
In previous India vs Pakistan game, the latter was being termed as the favorites due to the absence of India’s regular skipper Virat Kohli. But little did they know that the Indian team would raise their game a few notches after the Hong Kong game to pull off a one-sided victory over the arch-rivals.
Contrary to the previous game, India goes into the second clash as the favorites. The Men in Blue have done most things right after their labored win over Hong Kong. On the other hand, after the defeat against India, Pakistan just about made it past the line against Afghanistan. Hence, the odds are in favor of India to seal the 2nd consecutive win.
Here is our prediction for the India vs Pakistan game
Case1: If India bats first
First Innings score prediction: 280-290
Result prediction: India will win the match by 40-50 runs
Case2: If Pakistan bats first
First Innings score prediction: 220-230
Result prediction: India will win the match by 5 wickets
Head to head in ODIs
Total ODIs: 135, India won: 53, Pakistan won: 73, No Result: 9
Team Compositions:
India
Indian openers have been tremendous in the tournament so far. They have been doing the bulk of the scoring. Shikhar Dhawan is the leading run-getter after he slammed a century in the first game and then followed it up with 2 scores in the 40s. Rohit Sharma has struck 2 consecutive half-centuries and has looked flawless.
The middle-order hasn’t been tested in the last 2 games. Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik have got runs but those came in very little pressure situations. MS Dhoni got the much-needed time in the middle and he scored a crucial 33 against Bangladesh. The lower order hasn’t been required to bat in the last 2 matches.
After Hardik Pandya was ruled out, his replacement Ravindra Jadeja found a place straight into the XI. The left-arm spinner made full use of the opportunity and took 4 wickets against Bangladesh. He earned the Man of the Match award for his brilliant figures. Apart from him, the Indian pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah has done exceedingly well in the tournament. Kuldeep and Chahal, although went wicketless in the last game, will be extremely important.
Precited XI
Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (c), Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan
The 2 low scores by Fakhar Zaman is a huge cause for concern for Pakistan. He needs to stand up against India. Imam-ul-Haq was the top-scorer with 80 against Afghanistan. Babar Azam, even though hasn’t got a big score, yet has been the best Pakistani batsman so far.
Haris Sohail was picked in the XI for the last game but despite his failure, might hold on to the spot. Shoaib Malik played a magnificent knock and won the match against Afghanistan. But there lies an issue in the line-up as the captain Sarfaraz Ahmed hasn’t contributed with the bat.
Mohammad Amir’s form was poor and so, he was left out of the side. The debutant Shaheen Afridi bagged figures of 38/2 which makes it difficult for Amir to come back. Shadab Khan’s replacement Mohammad Nawaz also picked up 3 wickets. The pacers including Hasan Ali have had a tough time and they need to raise their game to stand a chance against India.
Precited XI
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan
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