Updated on:
Pakistan holds a 73-57 lead in IND vs PAK head-to-head matches in ODIs. However, the ‘Men in Blue’ have dominated over their arch-rivals in ICC tournaments. The abolishment of bilateral cricket between the two sides has meant that the two teams play each other rarely. India in particular has been hurt by not being able to play Pakistan in the previous decade when they were at their strongest in the format.
The ICC Champions Trophy is the only ICC event where the IND vs PAK head-to-head record favors the defending champions. However, when the two sides meet in Dubai, India will have a chance to square things up against their arch-rivals. Pakistan won the head-to-head in CT in 2004 and 2009. India registered back-to-back wins in 2013 and 2017 before they lost in the final.
India and Pakistan have faced each other twice at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. On both occasions, the runner-up from the previous edition has emerged victorious. Both matches came during the Asia Cup in 2018. India registered emphatic victories against their arch-rivals.
Among current players from India and Pakistan, only Mohammed Shami’s name features on the record books for the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The right-arm pacer picked up a five-wicket haul and joined Lockie Ferguson on the list of picking a fifer in their only bowling innings at the stadium. The IND vs PAK head-to-head record could be affected by the DICS’ stats.
Among active players from the two teams, Rohit Sharma has scored the most runs. The Indian skipper has scored 358 runs in six innings at the venue. Kuldeep Yadav has the most wickets having recorded 10 dismissals in seven innings.
The IND vs PAK head-to-head record could be affected by how the pitch plays out at the Dubai International Stadium. In the 59 games at the stadium, 35 have been won while batting second. In the first match at the stadium, Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat first. The decision might have not influenced the overall result of the match given the difference in quality between the two sides.
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for scoring the most runs in IND vs PAK head-to-head in ODIs. The right-handed batter scored 2,526 runs against Pakistan. Among active players, Rohit Sharma has scored more runs than anybody else. The opening batter has scored 873 runs in 10 innings. With the limited number of matches between the two sides breaking it into the list for any of the records mentioned above will be a pretty tough challenge for any player.
The IND vs PAK head-to-head clashes have seen some of the great performances. Sachin Tendulkar’s 98 against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup is remembered as one of his best batting performances in the format. In the upcoming clash too there would be a few players who could prove to be the difference between a win and a loss.
Shubman Gill is going through a purple patch having scored two half-centuries and two centuries in four games this year. The right-handed opening batter was named the Player of the Series in the three-match ODI series against England. Coming into the Champions Trophy, Gill started strongly with a century at the same venue against Bangladesh. He would be an important player for India heading into this fixture.
Axar Patel’s style of bowling has allowed him to be one of the most threatening bowlers at the Dubai Stadium. The left-handed spinner lost on an opportunity to become the first Indian to take a hat-trick in CT thanks to Rohit Sharma dropping one of the easiest catches at first slip. With the bat in hand, Axar has been used as a floater to break the right-handed domination in India’s batting order.
Mohammed Shami’s return to international cricket after almost 14 months gave evidence to the fact that he was a bit rusty. However, all those doubts were put to bed in the first game of the Champions Trophy. Playing his first game in the history of the tournament, Shami starred with the ball for India against Bangladesh by picking up a five-wicket haul.
Even though, Babar Azam faced a lot of criticism from the Pakistani fans for his knock against New Zealand, the top-order batter was one of the two half-centurions. Azam’s strike rate came under scrutiny as the hosts lost by 60 runs while chasing a target of 321 runs. Although he will be elated with the fact that he has got some runs under his belt before the high-intensity game against India.
Along with Babar, Khushdil Shah was one of the very few positives for the Pakistani team. The all-rounder top-scored for the defending champions with a knock of 69 runs in only 49 deliveries. When he came into bat, Pakistan was staring down the barrel of a 150-run loss. His knock helped in reducing the losing margin to only 60 runs.
Naseem Shah was clearly the better bowler among the pace trio of Pakistan. It does help that both Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf at most points in the game had no answers for the questions posed by New Zealand’s batters. Naseem in his young career has proved to be a great bowler, particularly against India. As the defending champions risk getting knocked out of the tournament, Naseem would have a huge role to play to avoid that.
More Links
FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
