LONDON – India and Pakistan will go head to head in a World Cup blockbusterat Old Trafford on Sunday.
AFP Sport picks five talking points ahead of the match.
Ending the World Cup woe
Pakistan have the better of the overall head-to-head record between the twocountries, winning 73 of the 131 one-day internationals contested betweenthe sides, to India’s 54, but at the World Cup it is a different story.
India have come out on top in all six meetings at the global showpiece,starting with a 43-run triumph back in 1992 and most recently securing a76-run victory in 2015.
It is quite a statistical hoodoo for Pakistan to overcome but they can takeheart from the last game the teams played in England — Fakhar Zaman’s 114and Mohammad Amir’s 3-16 helping them to a huge 180-run win in theChampions Trophy final at the Oval almost two years ago to the day.
Amir’s resurgence
Amir looked like he might miss out on Pakistan’s World Cup squad but theleft-arm seamer has shone at the tournament.
Three wickets against West Indies, two against England and brilliantfigures of 5-30 against Australia have put him among the tournament’sleading wicket-takers.
The 27-year-old’s battle against the Indian top order could prove decisive.
Kohli’s class
With KL Rahul expected to open the batting for India in the absence of theinjured Shikhar Dhawan, more pressure could fall on the shoulders of ViratKohli at three.
But the Indian skipper seems impervious and has carried the team on hisback plenty of times during his 11-year international career.
Kohli, ranked the number-one batsman in ODIs, demonstrated his form with aclassy knock of 82 against Australia and has a healthy average of 45.90,with two tons and a half-century, in his 12 ODIs against Pakistan.
Babar looking to build
He is still only 24 years old but Pakistan hope that in the long-term,Babar Azam can be their answer to Kohli.
Read Top Stories
That is a huge ask for any young player but the classy right-hander isalready ranked as the number one batsman in international Twenty20 cricket.
Babar averages more than 50 in 67 ODIs with nine centuries and his numberscompare favourably with Kohli’s at a similar stage in the Indian’s career.
It is what Kohli did next that puts him among the all-time greats butBabar, who is yet to reach 50 in four matches against India, couldcertainly take another step down that path by leading Pakistan to victoryon Sunday.
Bumrah bringing his best
As the number one bowler in the ODI rankings, Jasprit Bumrah provides Indiawith a consistently potent weapon.
But he will have something to prove on Sunday, having taken just fourwickets in four matches against Pakistan.
An average of 35.75 against Pakistan is not in the same league as hisstellar mark of 21.98 during his ODI career as a whole.
But the 25-year-old has already demonstrated his quality during this WorldCup, with five wickets so far.
Pakistan and India are fierce cricket rivals
Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman celebrates reaching his hundred in the 2017Champions Trophy final against India
Mohammad Amir took five wickets in Pakistan’s World Cup match againstAustralia in Taunton
India captain Virat Kohli is the world’s top-ranked one-day internationalbatsman
Pakistan’s Babar Azam
India’s Jasprit Bumrah takes part in a training session at Old Trafford.-APP/AFP
