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The iconic Pakistan versus India Group 1 clash at the ICC T20 World Cup (2021)

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Eat..Sleep..Break the Streak..Repeat

Hope buddies like [MENTION=139664]street cricketer[/MENTION] [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION] [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION] and all are alive and well :))

Wow..Look at who's back at PP after all these years! Great to see you back GR, hope the family is doing well:)

But the sad reality of the situation is that the streak's days are numbered unfortunately. Hope we can have an old timers reunion at PP on the funeral of the Streak on the 24th to celebrate and cherish his life:(
 
Wow..Look at who's back at PP after all these years! Great to see you back GR, hope the family is doing well:)

But the sad reality of the situation is that the streak's days are numbered unfortunately. Hope we can have an old timers reunion at PP on the funeral of the Streak on the 24th to celebrate and cherish his life:(

There is more of a chance of Doomsday before 24th than of this streak ending. This is just a curse which may never be lifted from Pak fans. And at most Pak fans have reached the acceptance stage and those delusional enough will reach their in time too. There is not even any cricketing logic in this, it just the way it is and will remain so. I for one will just watch it for that 0.01% miracle chance of Pak win. Otherwise advance congrats to India for two free points.
 
There is more of a chance of Doomsday before 24th than of this streak ending. This is just a curse which may never be lifted from Pak fans. And at most Pak fans have reached the acceptance stage and those delusional enough will reach their in time too. There is not even any cricketing logic in this, it just the way it is and will remain so. I for one will just watch it for that 0.01% miracle chance of Pak win. Otherwise advance congrats to India for two free points.

Kohli ,sharma,sky,panda all are in out of form, bowler only bumrah can reliable. This is the best chance for Pakistan to end 29 years streak . Babar ,Rizwan,fakhar, saheen all star players in pakistani team .Never get a other opportunity like this.
 
There is more of a chance of Doomsday before 24th than of this streak ending. This is just a curse which may never be lifted from Pak fans. And at most Pak fans have reached the acceptance stage and those delusional enough will reach their in time too. There is not even any cricketing logic in this, it just the way it is and will remain so. I for one will just watch it for that 0.01% miracle chance of Pak win. Otherwise advance congrats to India for two free points.

On a serious note, winning in T20 cricket is far more easier due to the nature of the game than in the other formats. It's why I always thought it was a minor miracle that India built up somewhat of a streak in the WT20 against Pakistan in the volatile T20 format and it was always going to be the T20 streak that was going to be broken first before the streak in the ODI world cup.

There's no reason why Pakistan cannot break the streak this time speaking genuinely.
 
Expecting more needle in the coming days as we get closer to the tournament!
 
If Pakistan can post 200 against the Indian attack, then India can most definitely chase that down against the Pakistani attack on the same wicket. You have to keep in mind that this is a group game unlike the CT final, where the pressure of an ICC knockout did more than half the work for Pakistan.
Babar Azam and his men will fare well due to familiarity with the conditions. They know UAE so well of course and became one of the best teams in the world few years ago while playing there.
 
It's probably the lowest quality of players both sets. The result is one thing, but the quality of cricket itself is my issue.

I don't expect a great game. There is no player who is at their peak. Many are past it, some are out of form.
 
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Pakistan players should try and get under the skin of Indian players in the field. I would be very upset if I see our players giggling in the field, tapping on the back of Indian players or hugging them. A manly handshake before and after the game is fine but nothing more than that.
 
It's a mentality thing. Pak will crumble again v India as its a WC game.

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I think your post was very much relevant 15 years ago when Pakistan was a better side than India.

Today India is World no.1 and is miles ahead of Pakistan in terms of talent, scope and skillset.

Of course a weak team would crumble against a giant team on most occasions.
 
Pakistan players should try and get under the skin of Indian players in the field. I would be very upset if I see our players giggling in the field, tapping on the back of Indian players or hugging them. A manly handshake before and after the game is fine but nothing more than that.

Nobody gets under the skin of Indian players and comes out unharmed. We saw that in Australia and England.

Pakistan should take a leaf out of New Zealand's book and just play smart cricket. TBH you have better chance to beat India by being friendly and easy rather than being physically and verbally aggressive.
 
Nobody gets under the skin of Indian players and comes out unharmed. We saw that in Australia and England.

Pakistan should take a leaf out of New Zealand's book and just play smart cricket. TBH you have better chance to beat India by being friendly and easy rather than being physically and verbally aggressive.

There is a difference though. The language would be free style urdu/punjabi/pashto which will potentially be more intimidating.

Australia & England players have soft hearts for India for obvious reasons and therefore they remain in a limit. Nobody wants to loose an IPL contract.
 
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There is a difference though. The language would be free style urdu/punjabi/pashto which will potentially be more intimidating.

Australia & England players have soft hearts for India for obvious reasons and therefore they remain in a limit. Nobody wants to loose an IPL contract.

Nah, thats a totally wrong observation- 2017 aus tour of india was one of the more hot headed tours of india in recent memory. In 2018 we butted head with aus. So go easy on the IPL contract narrative.
No one is being nice fo rgthe sake of contracts, if any its the other way.
If Afg do well against india in their group match , i'd guess some of their unknowns would be picked up in the IPL if they are aggro or not.
Coming to the match, Its T20 format and i'd say both are fairl even. I'd expect pak to come out all guns blazing, just hope our guys recover from teh IPl hype and are switched on.
 
Pakistan players should try and get under the skin of Indian players in the field. I would be very upset if I see our players giggling in the field, tapping on the back of Indian players or hugging them. A manly handshake before and after the game is fine but nothing more than that.

Well put. Should play with aggression on the field , and can have a laugh off the field. But in recent past, almost the opposite seems to be happening.
 
I had to appear after centuries of break just to highlight mine Profile picture and to say the following

Eat..Sleep..Break the Streak..Repeat

Hope buddies like [MENTION=139664]street cricketer[/MENTION] [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION] [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION] and all are alive and well :))

Now that you are back, Roary, I expect a Green storm to blast India to smithereens:( . No chance of the streak surviving now.
 
Very good point, people buying into the hype have to understand how terrible our preparations have been.

If we perform well, it will be a miracle to say the least.

Pakistan are a team that doesn't follow any logic as per your own words. All these things are meaningless. Preparation is for normal teams not maverick teams like Pakistan. Pakistan were the best prepared team for Asia Cup last time and they got pummeled worse than minnows :facepalm: They just need a hint of inspiration, a bit of that Cornered Tigers' Spirit and play with a lot of jazba and daler.
 
I know India will win for sure but still getting excited

After the match Malik hafeez should retire :))

Missing sharjeel and Amir
 
I wonder if India is being overrated here. It's a routine victory if Pakistan beats England but a huge upset to beat India?
 
T20 World Cup: "Don't Think Pakistan Will Pose Much Of A Challenge" For India, Says Ajit Agarkar

Former pacer Ajit Agarkar said that going by the current form of both teams, Pakistan are unlikely to pose a threat to India in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Ajit Agarkar said Pakistan are unlikely to pose threat to India in T20 WCAgarkar recalled 2007 T20 WC in South Africa where India beat PAK twiceIndia will play Pakistan on October 24 In Dubai
India are set to begin their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on October 24. Ahead of the mega clash, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar, speaking at Star Sports' 'Class of 2007' show, said that going by current form of both teams, Pakistan are unlikely to pose a threat to India at the showpiece event. "The stakes are always high when India and Pakistan play together but going by Team India's current form and taking the stats into consideration, I don't think Pakistan will pose that much of a challenge," Agarkar said.

The 43-year-old pacer further added that the Virat Kohli-led side should not make the mistake of taking Pakistan lightly in the shortest format of the game.

"Having said that, I don't think we should take our neighbours lightly because cricket is a funny game, and things can change at any moment, especially in the T20 format," Agarkar added.

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Agarkar recalled the 2007 campaign in South Africa where Team India defeated Pakistan in a thrilling final to win the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup.

"The entire tournament (2007 T20 World Cup) was a dream tour for us. We never thought a bunch of youngsters could achieve such a feat, that too against Pakistan. I think the India-Pakistan rivalry always brings a tidal wave of emotions and is one the most anticipated clash in the World Cup," he concluded.

https://sports.ndtv.com/icc-t20-world-cup-2021/t20-world-cup-dont-think-pakistan-will-pose-much-of-a-challenge-for-india-says-ajit-agarkar-2578079
 
Pakistan players should try and get under the skin of Indian players in the field. I would be very upset if I see our players giggling in the field, tapping on the back of Indian players or hugging them. A manly handshake before and after the game is fine but nothing more than that.

Agree with this. If we see Pakistan players trying to curry favour with Indian players you can guarantee they have already resigned themselves to losing. Or signed up to to it maybe. Pakistan would be better off picking competitive players for this game. It's a T20, doesn't require a lot of skill batting wise, but the bowling needs to be considered carefully.
 
Agree with this. If we see Pakistan players trying to curry favour with Indian players you can guarantee they have already resigned themselves to losing. Or signed up to to it maybe. Pakistan would be better off picking competitive players for this game. It's a T20, doesn't require a lot of skill batting wise, but the bowling needs to be considered carefully.

Surely impossible. India will give us verbal phainta, pitch phainta and social media phainta.

In seriousness we have to accept that the days of a meek India team and a fiery Pak team are long gone now. We can't beat them at that game.
 
There’s more chances of rain in Dubai than Pakistan C beating India.

Remember, no Sharjeel, Amir, Wahab, Ifthikar and Umar Akmal.
 
T20 anything can happen.
Have a feeling this WC will see quite a few upsets. Already we have seen Scotland beat Bangla.

No strong team is unbeatable, no small team is incapable
 
Pakistan are a team that doesn't follow any logic as per your own words. All these things are meaningless. Preparation is for normal teams not maverick teams like Pakistan. Pakistan were the best prepared team for Asia Cup last time and they got pummeled worse than minnows :facepalm: They just need a hint of inspiration, a bit of that Cornered Tigers' Spirit and play with a lot of jazba and daler.

Yes bring it on

PS : I know what you did there :ua
 
Form doesn't matter much in a T20 format. While Pak is still a massive underdog here, this format does give them the best chance to cause an upset.
 
The real problem is the Pak-Bharat and Liverpool-Man Utd matches will be on simultaneously. How tragic is that!!:sunhappy
 
Test matches are different case but when it comes to T20s Pakistan is a as competitive as any other team in the tournament. Eagerly waiting for Sunday
 
Form doesn't matter much in a T20 format. While Pak is still a massive underdog here, this format does give them the best chance to cause an upset.

A team with top ranked batsman, bowler, and most experienced trio playing in this world cup.
Yet An underdog. Lol
Wonder what associate teams are !!!
 
Form doesn't matter much in a T20 format. While Pak is still a massive underdog here, this format does give them the best chance to cause an upset.

Best T20 Batter of the World : Babar Azam
Best WK Batter : Rizwan
Besy Young Pacer : Shaheen
Ace Spinner in Powerplay with a good economy : Imad Wasim
Two most experienced, seasoned and some of the best players of Spin, who have played almost half of their careers in UAE in T20Is in PSL and for Pakistan- Shoaib Malik and Hafeez.

Underdogs ? Really.
Ye kuch zyada hi ho gaya.
:cobra
 
Best T20 Batter of the World : Babar Azam
Best WK Batter : Rizwan
Besy Young Pacer : Shaheen
Ace Spinner in Powerplay with a good economy : Imad Wasim
Two most experienced, seasoned and some of the best players of Spin, who have played almost half of their careers in UAE in T20Is in PSL and for Pakistan- Shoaib Malik and Hafeez.

Underdogs ? Really.
Ye kuch zyada hi ho gaya.
:cobra

Other than Babar, all the others that you've mentioned aren't the best going around. Rizwan is good but certainly not the best T20 bat. Shaheen is okay but Bumrah is far ahead of him. Imad is alright but Indian spinners can do an equally good if not a better job.

Malik and Hafeez are past it.

India on the other side is packed with individual match winners for almost every slot.
 
A team with top ranked batsman, bowler, and most experienced trio playing in this world cup.
Yet An underdog. Lol
Wonder what associate teams are !!!

Yes but then that team has literally no one else! You can't rely on 1 batsman , 1 bowler and a washed up duo that hasn't performed in ages. Surely you know that?
 
If we don’t bowl first I’m turning the tv off immediately.

There’s no way we’re going to bowl them out so it’s impossible to defend a score when India will have wickets in hand.

Bowl first, let their top 3 score 160 odd in 20 overs and back our batsmen to chase it down. It’s the only way of beating India in UAE.
 
India seems favourite ,but then incidents like 2017 champions trophy can happen.pak needs to play smart cricket and have smart selection.pak needs to revive concept of pinch hitter just after powerplays.traditionally they have been weak in scoring from 7 to 13 overs and this is where Pakistan looses the plot..U need to give dashers max.overs to play and consolidators be kept for latter on to execute plan B if in case dashers fail.
I would like to play team in this batting order
Babar
Rizwan
Fakhar
Hassan Ali
Mohd.Nawaz
Hafeez
Imad wasim
Mohd.wasim jnr.
Dhani
Haris
Afridi
 
The fear on both sides fans is so much that each is trying to position the other as favourates. The beginning of India Pakistan unity is here? :ua
 
Pakistan players should try and get under the skin of Indian players in the field. I would be very upset if I see our players giggling in the field, tapping on the back of Indian players or hugging them. A manly handshake before and after the game is fine but nothing more than that.

Sorry, no, a very misguided approach to the game if the Pak team goes with this attitude. The Indian team, especially VK, revel under intimidation. Both England and Australia found that the hard way.

On field, you don't have to be buddies. Just be competitive a with a positive attitude and let your game talk. Regardless of how both teams downplay the importance of this match, it does motivate all 22 players to do that little extra. The question is who is more motivated on that day.
 
I would go with Ishan Kishan instead of Surya Kumar Yadav in the XI.

Infact, I'd open with KL and Ishan, who can maximise power play and the Right-Left combo works better as well.

But I know that won't happen, as Rohit will open long with KL, followed by Virat at 3.

Just as they won't drop Hardik or Pant however poor their form is.
 
With our bowling line up, India will get mauled in opening game. Also Pak bowling looks solid, very difficult to score 150+ against them!
 
I know Pakistan captain and team management have got no brain cells, but surely after seeing the 5-6 matches in the tournament so far, they will have enough acumen to not play 3 fast bowlers in the playing XI, especially when they are Shaheen, Rauf and Hasan. It's like gifting 100-110 runs from these 3 bowlers if they bowl their full quota. Surely you have to go with 3 full time spinners, 2 fast bowlers and Hafeez on these tracks.
 
I know India will win for sure but still getting excited

After the match Malik hafeez should retire :))

Missing sharjeel and Amir

Pakistan might loose to India but can beat NZ.

Dont worry we still got a chance to reach the semis.
 
Certainly going to the match as under dogs. I pray we dont play asif ali fgs.
 
I am already having nightmares of Pandya taking Haris Rauf for 20 in the final over of the innings. Can't wait until the match is over and we can look to the other fixtures.
 
The Indian fans for some reason are engaging in some really nifty anti-jinxing giving Pakistan more than a fair chance.

While on paper India is obviously strong - it's just a T20 game - even a well struck 20 can make a huge difference. I expect Pakistan to give a tough fight. Their chances will be greater if they chase I think.

Can't wait for the match to begin.
 
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Today’s team will also play the match vs India.

Most likely Hafeez, Asif and Haider will get a go vs RSA. Fakhar at 3 is a good option. Asif vs Haider for final spot.

If Hafeez is out of touch play Nawaz.

He will have to score otherwise middle order problem will remain. His continuous dismissal vs Spin bowling will be hard to combat as he keeps going for the big shot and being dismissed early.

With current form the players were in Haider at 3 and Fakhar at 4 allows openers to go a little harder in the first 6 over. A lot will depend on our no 6 too who ever plays will need to score in this Pakistan team. How often does it seem Asif, Shadab, Imad and Hassan will get you 80 in last 5 overs? May be struggle with 60 IMO. A lot of question marks.
 
Pakistan's best bet is low scoring game where the pitch is tricky. IN T20 collapses can happen to any team.
 
I am already having nightmares of Pandya taking Haris Rauf for 20 in the final over of the innings. Can't wait until the match is over and we can look to the other fixtures.


Current Pandya will struggle to score 2 runs against most bowlers lol He doesn't deserve a spot in the XI
 
I would go with Ishan Kishan instead of Surya Kumar Yadav in the XI.

Infact, I'd open with KL and Ishan, who can maximise power play and the Right-Left combo works better as well.

But I know that won't happen, as Rohit will open long with KL, followed by Virat at 3.

And for good reason. Rohit would kill any momentum in the middle overs while Ishan would be great there when the spinners come on.
 
Some of my fellow indian fans are acting like drama queens here. India has an upper hand against Pakistan and should win the match on Sunday. They know that pretty well. I mean we keep listening from them how India is better than Pakistan in cricket but whenever there is any match like this happens they start downplaying their own team. It's an old and boring trick. :inti
 
Big match for Bhuvi, Chahar and Shadab,Haris Rauf.
They are the on form weak links of both attacks.
Looks like both captains will back them for this tournament, so let's see how it goes
 
Some of my fellow indian fans are acting like drama queens here. India has an upper hand against Pakistan and should win the match on Sunday. They know that pretty well. I mean we keep listening from them how India is better than Pakistan in cricket but whenever there is any match like this happens they start downplaying their own team. It's an old and boring trick. :inti

In ODI and Test defn , not in T20s with Kohli as captain.
Rohit would defn had been a better captain for us as he showed before as well.
 
After a long time not feeling confident enough, the only thing is Pakistan is usually a slow starter in major tournaments (except 2011,1999) which might work for us but Kohli argh don’t trust his approach at times and his issue with Rohit is going to be bad.
 
Some of my fellow indian fans are acting like drama queens here. India has an upper hand against Pakistan and should win the match on Sunday. They know that pretty well. I mean we keep listening from them how India is better than Pakistan in cricket but whenever there is any match like this happens they start downplaying their own team. It's an old and boring trick. :inti

Should ignore such fans. Probably grew up seeing family/neighborhood uncles who were always cribbing cliches like 'I told you our team will lose/team is useless/all players only interested in ads'.

Now they have aged and become next gen version of those uncles. Except they crib on online platforms.
 
https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/t20-world-cup-virender-sehwag-reveals-the-reason-behind-indias-terrific-record-against-pakistan-in-icc-events-4340174.html

Team India enjoys an excellent record against their arch-rivals Pakistan in ICC events, and in ICC T20 World Cups, India have a 5-0 record against their neighbours.

Ahead of India vs Pakistan clash in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Virender Sehwag, the former India cricketer, who himself has been a part of this epic rivalry, has revealed the reason behind India’s success against Pakistan.

Talking to ABP News on Monday, replying to a Pakistani news anchor’s remarks about Pakistan “tareekh badal denge", Virender Sehwag said that the Indian team handles pressure situations well and gives importance to preparation rather than believing in providing statements.

“If I talk about the 2011 World Cup or the 2003 World Cup, we are under less pressure because our position remains better than Pakistan in the World Cup. So in my opinion, when we play with that attitude, we never give big statements. There are always some big statements from the Pakistani side like he [Pakistani news anchor] said at the starting of his show that ‘We are going to change the date’. India by no means says such issues as a result of they go higher ready. And while you go higher ready, you already know what the end result can be."

However, the 42-year-old added that Pakistan has a better chance of beating India. “But if we talk about the current scenario and this format then I think this is where Pakistan always has more chances because they might not play that well in the longer 50-over format. In this format, even one player can defeat any team. But still, Pakistan hasn’t been able to do that, we’ll see what happens on the 24th."

It is not only the T20 World Cups, but India have also managed to dominate Pakistan in the ODI World Cups, with a 7-0 record to their name. However, the latter managed to beat India in Champions Trophy Final in 2017.
 
Former South Africa Dale Steyn has named an XI he would want India to field against Pakistan during their T20 World Cup opener on October 24 in Dubai. Steyn, along with VVS Laxman on Star Sports, ahead of the start of India's warm-up tie against England, were asked to name India's XI for the contest against Pakistan, with Laxman going first, and Steyn making just one change from the former India batsman's list.

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy were Laxman's picks for India's XI against Pakistan, to which Steyn added: "I wouldn't have been able to name it as perfectly as VVS but one change, I would bring in Shami ahead of Bhuvi, just on current form alone. Shami has been doing it quite nicely. Bhuvi is fantastic but on current form I would go with Shami in this side."

As for the selection of Hardik Pandya, Steyn called the India all-rounder a 'gamechanger' while adding that Pandya merits a place in the XI due to his batting alone. Although Steyn agreed that Pandya not bowling remains an issue, the former quick backed the 28-year-old all-rounder's batting skills to pose a threat for teams at the T20 World Cup.

"Look, he's a game-changer. That's the big thing. He is a gamechanger whether he’s got bat or ball in his hand, specifically with that bat actually. He hasn't bowled a lot lately, at all to be honest. I would pick him purely on his batting alone," Steyn added.

"After the current form that he has had, it's a bit touch and go but he is a fantastic player. And teams will know that. So, when he comes out to bat, teams would have to prepare accordingly because Hardik Pandya can take the game away from you quite easily with the bat."

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...kistan-names-gamechanger-101634693540099.html
 
India-Pakistan fixture in international cricket is probably one of the biggest fixtures in all of sport and not just cricket. And only those who have been a part of this match-up can truly the intensity of it on the field. And very few people know it better than legendary India all-rounder Kapil Dev, who shed more light on the importance of the arch-rivals' ahead of the upcoming meeting at the T20 World Cup.

While speaking in a show on ABP TV, Kapil Dev, shared the success of doing well in the Indo-Pak matches. Since the two teams do not play bilateral series anymore, their clashes in ICC tournaments become all the more important, especially for the fans.

"It all depends on pressure and pleasure. If you are enjoying the game or are under pressure. If you take too much pressure, then you will not get the desired performances. The chances of winning the game increase for the team who believes in having fun while playing," explained Kapil Dev.

Moreover, he went on to state that a youngster can receive heaps of recognition if he performs well in these matches.

"Players get recognition by doing well in IND-PAK matches. If a youngster comes out and performs well, then he gets global recognition. Whereas, if a senior player does not do well, then it can hurt his reputation," Kapil Dev added.

Team India, sporting new kits in the tournament, marked their presence in the UAE by beating England in their first warm-up game on Monday. Chasing 189 in 20 overs, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami led the side to a seven-wicket win with 6 balls to spare.

Virat Kohli-led India will play another warm-up game against Australia on Wednesday, October 20, before taking the field for their opening Super 12 fixture against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on October 24, Sunday.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...n-get-global-recognition-101634703054848.html
 
I had to appear after centuries of break just to highlight mine Profile picture and to say the following

Eat..Sleep..Break the Streak..Repeat

Hope buddies like [MENTION=139664]street cricketer[/MENTION] [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION] [MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=76058]cricketjoshila[/MENTION] and all are alive and well :))

Omg welcome back buddy.....

You were on a roll a few years back.

How you been?
 
India are in Ominous form, at this rate even if India play poorly they will beat Pakistan. Hard to imagine how Pak, or any team for that matter, beat India.

I expect Pakistan to win against other nations though.
 
Should ignore such fans. Probably grew up seeing family/neighborhood uncles who were always cribbing cliches like 'I told you our team will lose/team is useless/all players only interested in ads'.

Now they have aged and become next gen version of those uncles. Except they crib on online platforms.

Exactly lol. India's two convincing wins against Aus and Eng in practice games also suggests that we start as favorites against Pakistan on Sunday. :inti
 
India are in Ominous form, at this rate even if India play poorly they will beat Pakistan. Hard to imagine how Pak, or any team for that matter, beat India.

I expect Pakistan to win against other nations though.

We'll stuff it up somehow in the knockout stages.

I actually feel a bit for Kohli tbh. If he miraculously wins the WT20 somehow, fans are going to be like Thala Dhoni mentored India to a world cup win, and if he loses, people are gonna be like "Kohli proves that he's not a winner once again. Not everyone is MSD afterall":msd
 
India has advantage as they just played half of the IPL in UAE.

If India doesn’t beat Pakistan they may as well just pack their bags and go back home.
 
Laxman bringing in Bhuvi because of SRH connection.

Shami is an obvious selection.

Former South Africa Dale Steyn has named an XI he would want India to field against Pakistan during their T20 World Cup opener on October 24 in Dubai. Steyn, along with VVS Laxman on Star Sports, ahead of the start of India's warm-up tie against England, were asked to name India's XI for the contest against Pakistan, with Laxman going first, and Steyn making just one change from the former India batsman's list.

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy were Laxman's picks for India's XI against Pakistan, to which Steyn added: "I wouldn't have been able to name it as perfectly as VVS but one change, I would bring in Shami ahead of Bhuvi, just on current form alone. Shami has been doing it quite nicely. Bhuvi is fantastic but on current form I would go with Shami in this side."

As for the selection of Hardik Pandya, Steyn called the India all-rounder a 'gamechanger' while adding that Pandya merits a place in the XI due to his batting alone. Although Steyn agreed that Pandya not bowling remains an issue, the former quick backed the 28-year-old all-rounder's batting skills to pose a threat for teams at the T20 World Cup.

"Look, he's a game-changer. That's the big thing. He is a gamechanger whether he’s got bat or ball in his hand, specifically with that bat actually. He hasn't bowled a lot lately, at all to be honest. I would pick him purely on his batting alone," Steyn added.

"After the current form that he has had, it's a bit touch and go but he is a fantastic player. And teams will know that. So, when he comes out to bat, teams would have to prepare accordingly because Hardik Pandya can take the game away from you quite easily with the bat."

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...kistan-names-gamechanger-101634693540099.html
 
India have had edge on Pakistan in last couple of WCs because of Pak's poor batting. This time though it looks like Pakistan have much stronger batting that is firing (based off 2 warm ups) and a better captain who's leading from the front. So I hope it is an exciting contest. Would love a repeat of 2007 group game. A nail-biter.
 
Yes, Shami is a must. Bhuvi/Thakur/Pandya can fight for the 3rd seamer's spot. I wouldn't have Pandya in the Xi if he's not bowling, but looks like the TM will have Pandya purely as a batsman!

Bhuvi/Thakur to fight for 3rd seamer spot. IMO unless pitch has something in it for pacers, Thakur starts.
 
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