Kohli vs Amir to Rohit vs Shaheen: Key battles to look out for India-Pakistan clash

The biggest rivalry in world cricket—India vs Pakistan—is all set to take centerstage as New York will host the mouth-watering clash for the first time. The two teams have started their T20 World Cup campaigns on contrasting notes. 

India beat Ireland convincingly, while the USA stunned Pakistan to stage one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history. Babar Azam and Co. will be under immense pressure to bounce back and playing rivals India will surely pile up a bit more on them.

There are some players’ battles which will set up the tone of the match and decide the fate of the big results. Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi have troubled India in the past but Virat Kohli has been the standout player in the biggest cricket rivalry over the last decade.

Virat Kohli vs Mohammad Amir: The two superstars of the game will once again square up against each other and once again, the stakes will be high. Amir dismissed Kohli twice in white-ball cricket, but both times in ODIs, the Indian star remained unbeaten against him in the two T20Is.

Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Shah Afridi: Shaheen Afridi stunned the world with a toe-crushing yorker to dismiss Rohit in the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai, which embarked on a new rivalry. However, Rohit has bounced back in style in the recent outings against the left-arm paceman. The swashbuckling Viratopener stamped his authority over the Pakistan paceman in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Babar Azam vs Jasprit Bumrah: Babar had a sluggish outing against the USA in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup opener, where he scored 44 runs off 43 balls and was criticised for his slow knock. On the other hand, Bumrah produced a Player of the Match performance versus Ireland. Babar has to lead from the front and up the ante in the powerplay but it won’t be an easy task for him with Bumrah with the new ball.

Hardik Pandya vs Shadab Khan: Hardik Pandya stamped his authority over Shadab Khan with back-to-back sixes against Shadab Khan in the Champions Trophy 2017. The flamboyant India all-rounder also looked in good form against the spinners in the warm-up match against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Shadab had a difficult start with the ball in the ongoing tournament as he leaked 27 runs in the three overs he bowled.