IND VS PAK: BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER WORLD SET TO WITNESS TOMORROW

As the cricketing world gears up for the much awaited T20 World Cup this festive season, the eighth edition of the tournament is set to keep the fans on the edge with 16 International teams competing for the glimmering trophy presently held by the hosts, Australia who are all buckled up to defend the title at all costs. 45 matches are scheduled to be played over 7 venues; Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.

TEAMS
Australia, India, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Srilanka, WestIndies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland, UAE, Scotland, Netherland, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

FORMAT
The Super 12s, where eight teams will wait for the four qualifiers, will come after group stage games to select the four teams who will advance to the knockout rounds (semis and final). On October 16, Round 1 of the T20 World Cup began, comprising 8 teams aiming for a spot in the Super 12 qualifier round of the competition.

TEAMS IN ROUND 1 (QUALIFIERS)
GROUP A: Srilanka, UAE, Netherland, Namibia
GROUP B: West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Scotland
In Groups A and B, the top two teams will move on to the Super 12 stage, where they will play the other 8 already qualified teams. The Super 12 phase, which starts on October 22, consists of two groups with a total of six teams each, four of whom have already qualified and two new teams from Round 1.

TOP 3 FAVOURITE TEAMS

Australia:
Being the defending champion, Australia is all ready to show the world again that they still rule the game as they once did back in early 2000’s. With the likes of Steve Smith, Glen Maxwell and David Warner, the Aussies look rock solid with Mithchel Starc leading the bowling department of the yellow jersey.

India:
The name is enough to decode the hold this team has on the game. One of the most promising teams, India is all set to take over the championship with their batting order armed to the teeth! A slight concern about the bowling as Star Pacer Jasprit Bumrah is out from the squad and Jadeja, the best all-rounder across the world facing the same fate. Still the young lads namely Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul among others of Team India have given quite promising performances in recent months thus making the team one of the key contenders for the title.

England: England is all set up to be on the ground with their new captain in command. The team looks good on paper but the absence of two key players Jonny Bairstow and Jofra Archer would be felt as both the biggies are out due to injuries. How effective the new captaincy and changes made still remain to be analysed as the English team is all set to go up in the arms against Pakistan in their first match, who themselves are not behind in terms of popularity and performance.

MAJOR PLAYERS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Virat Kohli 
David Warner
Jos Buttler
KL Rahul 
Mohd Rizwan
Babar Azam
Devon Conway

Team India, which is the no. 1 ranked side in the T20I ranking will be looking for a much better show compared to their group stage elimination in the 2021 T20I World Cup. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja is a blow but India is confident as they have the depth to cover the absence of these star players. Mohammed Shami would replace Bumrah in the Indian camp to begin their campaign with a blockbuster against Pakistan on October 23, 2022.

IND VS PAK MATCH: BATTLE OF STARS

Virat Kohli Vs Babar Azam
Over the years, the cricket fraternity has remained divided on the never-ending Kohli versus Babar debate. While veteran Indian batter Kohli has been the face of Team India for more than a decade in world cricket, Babar has stamped his authority as one of the best batters across formats in recent years, dubbed as the next big thing in Pakistani cricket. They both want to give their best on October 23rd. Virat kohli came back in form in Asia Cup after hitting his 71st Century after a long gap, while Babar Azam struggled with his form in recent times.

KL Rahul Vs Mohd Rizwan
KL Rahul and Mohammad Rizwan are both consistent batters for their teams. KL Rahul is back after injury and performing superbly in the practice match held against Australia, while Rizwan is also a key player for the Pakistan team. They both open the innings for their respective teams and want to use the benefit of the powerplay in the clash between Ind vs Pak on the 23rd.

Shami vs Shaheen Afridi
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Shami will lead the Indian team's pace attack, whereas we all know what Shaheen did to Team India in the 2019 World Cup as he completely destroyed the Indian top order. Shami is also returning from injury and looking in good touch, but the only concern is that he is playing after one year in an international match.