It is time for cricket fans to buckle up as the highly-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash is just a day away. India-Pakistan clashes have produced some mighty encounters and this Asia Cup clash is also expected to produce a cracker of a contest at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Saturday.
India might have witnessed an impressive run in 2016, but the form book goes out of the window as Pakistan, who might have been below par in their last T20 series, being the unpredictable side can outshine MS Dhoni's men.
There are a number of top cricketers in both the camps. Here is a look at players, who can play an important role in the match.
India
Virat Kohli
The Delhi lad has been in ominous form of late in coloured clothing for India, scoring runs against the likes of Australia Down Under. Apart from his current form, his T20I career for India has been great as well. Kohli has played 34 T20I matches, averaging a healthy 48.88 so far. His record against Pakistan is immaculate, averaging 75. Kohli plays the spinners and the pacers with equal ease, which makes him a dangerous player in the T20 contest. Besides his boundary hitting skills, he also runs well between the wickets when the boundaries are hard to come by.
Ashish Nehra
The left-arm pacer is a huge threat if the pitch provides any assistance to the seamers and the pitch in Mirpur has helped the fast bowlers a lot in the first two matches. Nehra bowled beautifully against Bangladesh, swinging the ball both ways. Captain MS Dhoni will throw the new ball to Nehra with the hope of providing early inroads. Nehra, with his experience, can play an important role with the new ball and also use his variations to good effect in the latter overs.
Pakistan
Wahab Riaz
Pakistan have always produced an array of world-class bolwers and Riaz belongs to the same category. The left-arm pacer will hold the key for Pakistan against the India batsmen. Shahid Afridi will ask Riaz to dismiss the top three India batsmen – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli -- for cheap runs, which will put Pakistan in the frontfoot during the game. Riaz comes into this Asia Cup with a spring in his stride, after his impressive performances in the PSL, taking 15 wickets.
Shoaib Malik
The right-hander is one of the experienced batsmen for Pakistan and his form against India has been impressive in the T20 format, with an average of 33.50. The middle-order batsman, who is a brilliant player of both spin as well as pacers, can play as per the situations demands. He has all the shots in the book to make him a dangerous batsman. Apart from his batting skills, he is more than handy with spinner, with his gentle off-breaks.
