Asia Cup Championship 2022: India VS Pakistan when they last met

From an eight-wicket win against Pakistan, while chasing 163 in the group stage, they bettered to win in the Super Four match by nine wickets while chasing a target of 238.

In the group stage clash, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kedar Jadhav broke the backbone of the Pakistani line-up, supported by Babar Azam's 47. Whereas in the super four fixture, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan smashed their respective tons to grab the mammoth win.

As the teams are back once again in the same group, they will lock horns in the first fixture of Group A of this edition of the Asia Cup. But this time, both the teams are without the services of their main pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Apart from that, India has two other concerns:

Who bats at the number 3 puzzle of team India?

The number three position has always been crucial for team India because Virat Kohli owns that position like King. Whether the team needed an anchoring role or attacking, coming one wicket down was the answer to any team India situation.

With his ongoing lean phase and dilemma surrounding the opening pair, the best suiting batter for number three is also confused. India has tried nearly eight opening pairs in T20Is in this calendar year. Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli have all been tried.

If KL Rahul opens alongside Rohit Sharma, then it is likely that Virat Kohli will be at number three. However, if Virat Kohli opens, then either Suryakumar Yadav or KL Rahul can be seen at number playing at wicket down.

Who is the third seamer and reserve spinner?

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya are indispensable seamers for team India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's experience and Hardik Pandya's recent form make their way to playing XI. Had Harshal Patel been fit, he would have made it to the playing XI. But now, in his absence, the two leading contenders for third pacers are Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh.

Avesh Khan has shown more versatility in IPL seasons but failed to translate into international cricket for India. In contrast, Arshdeep Singh's left-arm variety has been something that Men in Blue has been finding for quite a long time. He is more likely to replace Harshal Patel in playing XI owing to his death overs speciality. His attacking and defensive yorkers from over or around the wicket is a rare skill which India will look to use.

Including Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi has created doubts about who would be the reserve spinner. Ravichandran Ashwin made a terrific comeback in the T20I squad during the previous World Cup, and since then, he has picked 12 wickets in eight games, giving an economy of 5.78.

Conversely, Ravi Bishnoi's spell-bounding googly highlights his bright record against Southpaws, especially to left-handers. The spinners have different strengths that can be used against other teams depending on playing conditions. It's difficult to say who will make the cut into playing XI alongside Yuzvendra Chahal.