2nd Twenty20I: India vs Pakistan at Ahmadabad. The match starts at 4.30pm PST on December 28 (Friday).
The backdrop
A two-match Twenty20 series drawn is a result found very often. That Pakistan are leading the series 1-0, they must be wary of India’s backlash technically and statistically. Though India’s batsmen failed put on a reasonable show in the previous match, they have some of the best batsmen in their roster who can match the threat boasted by Pakistan bowlers.
Pakistan however can draw comfort from the fact that never have they lost or drawn (1-1) a two-match bilateral Twenty20 series after winning the first match. Even a team like Australia failed twice to backlash, once in England 2010 and then recently at UAE.
While Pakistan are likely to retain the playing XI, India need to ponder on the decision to go in with four specialist bowlers, including Yuvraj Singh. Also the eight-batsman selection didn’t pay off. They must bring in a specialist bowler, and for that Ravi Jadeja must make way for India’s Fernando Torres [Ravi Ashwin].
Toss at the Motera could be as important as Hafeez-Malik partnership at Bangalore. Though the match will start bit early at 5.00pm local time, still there would be dew factor in the second innings.
The contest (Irfan vs India batsmen)
Mohammad Irfan, albeit he took only a wicket, bowled lively, with lot of vigour at Bangalore. It was his spell at start of the innings that kept Pakistan’s, of players and fans, spirits intact throughout the match. He exploited the bounce off the pitch and threatened India batsmen with short balls. He’ll be up against them again. Sure there will be a wile of Saeed Ajmal too, but its Irfan’s hostile spell India should watch out for. Only Indian batsman who played him without showing timidness was the opener Ajinkya Rahane, who also
hit him two
boundaries.
X-Factor
Shoaib Malik is to India what Kumar Sangakkara is to Pakistan. The conditions, the pressure, the quality of bowling (as there was at Bangalore by Bhuvenshwar Kumar) could all just be irrelevant when Malik is up against India. He contributed in a match-winning partnership with captain Mohammad Hafeez and reminded India what he used to do from 2004 to 2009.
He had not scored an international fifty in more than two years, but he found the groove at Bangalore against a team to whom he is a scourge. Malik’s T20 career average is 24.16, against India it is 37.66. Malik’s ODI average is 33.03, against India its 51.80. Malik has 7 ODI centuries, four of them have come against India.
So much so that if you look at Pakistan’s last two international wins against India. It was Malik, who rescued them – 128 off 126 balls at Centurion 2009; 57 off 50 at Bangalore 2012. Zero in to Pakistan’s next-to-last win in India, again it is Malik scoring 89 off 82 balls at Jaipur 2007.
Stats and Trivia
- If Pakistan win the series, they will equal South Africa’s record (11) of most bilateral T20 series win. Pakistan so far have won 10.
- Last time these teams played at Ahmadabad (2005), things became so tense that, in chase of 316, Pakistan needed one off last ball. Inzamam-ul-Haq squeezed a boundary past point off Sachin Tendulkar’s bowling to hand Pakistan victory – it was first time Pakistan successfully chased 300-plus in ODIs.
The backdrop
A two-match Twenty20 series drawn is a result found very often. That Pakistan are leading the series 1-0, they must be wary of India’s backlash technically and statistically. Though India’s batsmen failed put on a reasonable show in the previous match, they have some of the best batsmen in their roster who can match the threat boasted by Pakistan bowlers.
Pakistan however can draw comfort from the fact that never have they lost or drawn (1-1) a two-match bilateral Twenty20 series after winning the first match. Even a team like Australia failed twice to backlash, once in England 2010 and then recently at UAE.
While Pakistan are likely to retain the playing XI, India need to ponder on the decision to go in with four specialist bowlers, including Yuvraj Singh. Also the eight-batsman selection didn’t pay off. They must bring in a specialist bowler, and for that Ravi Jadeja must make way for India’s Fernando Torres [Ravi Ashwin].
Toss at the Motera could be as important as Hafeez-Malik partnership at Bangalore. Though the match will start bit early at 5.00pm local time, still there would be dew factor in the second innings.
The contest (Irfan vs India batsmen)
Mohammad Irfan, albeit he took only a wicket, bowled lively, with lot of vigour at Bangalore. It was his spell at start of the innings that kept Pakistan’s, of players and fans, spirits intact throughout the match. He exploited the bounce off the pitch and threatened India batsmen with short balls. He’ll be up against them again. Sure there will be a wile of Saeed Ajmal too, but its Irfan’s hostile spell India should watch out for. Only Indian batsman who played him without showing timidness was the opener Ajinkya Rahane, who also
hit him two
boundaries. X-Factor
Shoaib Malik is to India what Kumar Sangakkara is to Pakistan. The conditions, the pressure, the quality of bowling (as there was at Bangalore by Bhuvenshwar Kumar) could all just be irrelevant when Malik is up against India. He contributed in a match-winning partnership with captain Mohammad Hafeez and reminded India what he used to do from 2004 to 2009.
He had not scored an international fifty in more than two years, but he found the groove at Bangalore against a team to whom he is a scourge. Malik’s T20 career average is 24.16, against India it is 37.66. Malik’s ODI average is 33.03, against India its 51.80. Malik has 7 ODI centuries, four of them have come against India.
So much so that if you look at Pakistan’s last two international wins against India. It was Malik, who rescued them – 128 off 126 balls at Centurion 2009; 57 off 50 at Bangalore 2012. Zero in to Pakistan’s next-to-last win in India, again it is Malik scoring 89 off 82 balls at Jaipur 2007.
Stats and Trivia
- If Pakistan win the series, they will equal South Africa’s record (11) of most bilateral T20 series win. Pakistan so far have won 10.
- Last time these teams played at Ahmadabad (2005), things became so tense that, in chase of 316, Pakistan needed one off last ball. Inzamam-ul-Haq squeezed a boundary past point off Sachin Tendulkar’s bowling to hand Pakistan victory – it was first time Pakistan successfully chased 300-plus in ODIs.
