Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey

T20 WC 2021 Match 16: IND vs PAK Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | IND vs PAK Dream11 Prediction Today | India vs Pakistan Key Players | Dubai Pitch Report

It’s India-Pakistan day, and don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t matter anymore. Sure, India have an incredible record against Pakistan in World Cups, but that might just spur the Pakistanis more in what has the potential to be a classic. So much so that Matthew Hayden, who has played in numerous Ashes series, said that this rivalry is “unmatched” in world cricket.

All signs do point to an India win. They have won every World Cup match against Pakistan across ODI and T20 World Cups. They have won seven of eight T20Is against Pakistan overall. Plus, they have had the better preparation with the IPL finishing just last week, and have a team so scary on paper that talent outside the XI would easily walk into most sides around the globe.

But, that’s not how it works with Pakistan. Especially a motivated Pakistan. Heartbroken after visits by New Zealand and England were cancelled, Pakistan have vowed to put in a big performance in this World Cup. And they won’t get a better opportunity to make the perfect start than by beating their archrivals to kickstart their campaign.

A lot will rest on Babar Azam to lead the way for a Pakistan side that still relies a lot on its top order. For India, the concern will be around having just the five bowling options if Hardik Pandya doesn’t bowl, which represents an opportunity that Pakistan must look to capitalise on.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

India:

• KL Rahul is in such irresistible touch that there is little doubt that he is one of the top T20 batsmen in the world. He had a strong IPL campaign (626 runs, avg. 62.60, SR 138.80), finishing with a thumping 98* off 42 balls vs CSK. He then followed it up with 51 off 24 balls and 39 off 31 balls in the warm ups against England and Australia respectively.
• Also, KL loves batting at Dubai. In 12 matches on this ground, Rahul has smashed 606 runs at an average of 67.33 and strike rate of 146.02.
• Virat Kohli has a magnificent record against Pakistan. The India skipper has the most runs in IND-PAK matches, with 254 runs in six outings at an average of 84.66 and strike rate of 118.69.
• Ishan Kishan has burst into form after a tough run. The talented left-hander scores 70 off 46 balls against England in the warm up, after smashing 50* (25) and 84 (32) in his last two IPL games. However, these knocks were at opener, so it will be interesting to see how he fits into the XI here.
• Rishabh Pant averages 38.44 in 12 T20s at Dubai (346 runs, SR 123.13).
• Shardul Thakur is coming off a brilliant UAE leg of IPL 2021, where he played a key role in CSK’s triumph. He took the equal third-most wickets in the tournament (21), including 15 scalps in his last eight games. He also has taken 15 wickets in nine T20s at Dubai.
• Jasprit Bumrah will be key, especially against Pakistan’s questionable finishing. The pacer was excellent in a tough campaign for Mumbai Indians, taking the equal third-most wickets (21) at a fine economy rate of 7.45. He has two scalps in two T20Is vs Pakistan at an average of 20 and economy rate of 5.71.
• Also, Bumrah enjoys bowling at Dubai, with 15 scalps in eight matches on this ground at an economy rate of 6.93.

Pakistan:

• Babar Azam recently became the fastest player to 7,000 T20 runs. He had a terrific National T20 Cup campaign with 286 runs in six matches at an average of 71.50 and strike rate of 143.00.
• Babar also has a lot of experience at Dubai. He has played 28 T20s on this ground, striking 885 runs at an average of 32.78 and strike rate of 113.03.
• Mohammad Rizwan is key to Pakistan’s hopes. He has had a terrific year in T20s, with 1,462 runs in 36 matches at an average of 56.23 and strike rate of 133.39.
• However, Rizwan has a poor record at Dubai. He has scored just 187 runs in 21 T20s on this ground at an average of 14.38. Can he turn these numbers around?
• Fakhar Zaman is coming off a sub-par T20 National Cup campaign (88 runs in four matches). Also, Fakhar has historically struggled in T20s at Dubai with 379 runs in 20 matches at an average of 18.95 and strike rate of 118.81. But, he was in fine touch in the warm ups, smashing 46* (24) and 52 (28) against West Indies and South Africa respectively.
• Shoaib Malik has the most runs for Pakistan against India (164 runs, avg. 27.33, SR 103.79).
• Can Shaheen Shah Afridi influence this match like fans know he can? He recently took 12 wickets in six matches in the National T20 Cup, part of 38 wickets in 28 matches in 2021 at an average of 22.42 and economy rate of 8.18.
• Also, Shaheen has taken 15 wickets in 11 T20s at Dubai at an average of 19.53 and economy rate of 7.74.
• Hasan Ali is having a fine year in T20s. He has 41 scalps in 29 matches at an average of 18.66 and economy rate of 7.64. Also, he has 25 wickets in 21 career T20s at Dubai. Key bowler.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 8, India 7, Pakistan 1.
• India have beaten Pakistan in all five T20 World Cup meetings to date.
• Rohit Sharma averages just 17.50 in six T20Is vs Pakistan. However, he will be looking to replicate his century against them in the 2019 ODI World Cup, and is coming off a strong 60 off 41 balls vs Australia in the warm up match.
• Babar Azam has scored the most T20I runs of any player in the world in the last three years (1,173).
• Incredibly, India lost all eight T20Is since 2018 when they posted a score below 160. In contrast, they won nine of 11 matches when they set a score between 161 and 180.
• Ravindra Jadeja has struck 459 runs in IPL since the beginning of 2020 at an incredible average of 57.38 and strike rate of 157.37.

Possible Playing 11

India have a few decisions to make. First, how do they fit Ishan Kishan in the XI? Second, do both R Ashwin and Varun Chakravarthy play? If not, who misses out from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami?

India: 1. Rohit Sharma, 2. KL Rahul, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Suryakumar Yadav/Ishan Kishan, 5. Rishabh Pant (wk), 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Shardul Thakur, 9. R Ashwin/Varun Chakravarthy, 10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Mohammed Shami, 11. Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan have named their 12-man squad. The last spot in the XI is likely to be between Mohammad Hafeez and Haider Ali.

Pakistan:  1. Babar Azam (c), 2. Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3. Fakhar Zaman, 4. Mohammad Hafeez/Haider Ali, 5. Shoaib Malik, 6. Asif Ali, 7. Shadab Khan, 8. Imad Wasim, 9. Hasan Ali, 10. Haris Rauf, 11. Shaheen Shah Afridi

Dubai Pitch Report and Weather

West Indies collapsed in incredible fashion yesterday and were bundled out for 55 on this ground. However, there are no demons in this surface. The average first innings score in the recent IPL was 156.23, with CSK chasing 173 and then posting 192 themselves in the crunch matches.

Teams batting second won 10 of the last 14 matches on this ground, so expect the captain who wins the toss to choose to chase especially given there may be dew around. A warm and clear evening is forecast.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Mohammad Rizwan
• Batsmen: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Babar Azam
• All-rounders: Mohammad Hafeez
• Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

Pakistan have the ability to cause India problems, but India should win.