In arguably the world's biggest rivalry, India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in Match 16 of the 2021 T20 World Cup at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday evening.

Starting as one of the favorites for the title, India has won all of the 5 matches played against Pakistan in the T20 World Cups, and will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak here. They come into this tournament after winning 3 of their last 4 T20I series, losing just 4 games out of 16 played. The team will be filled with confidence after outplaying England and Australia in the two warm-up matches.

On the other hand, Pakistan look like a strong unit on paper and will be going for their T20 World Cup title here. The team is familiar with the UAE conditions as it has been their home venue for the past decade, and they will be hopeful of a positive result in this match. In 11 T20Is played this year, the team has won 8 and lost only 3 matches.

 Match Details

• Game: India vs. Pakistan, Match 16
• Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
• Date & Time: Oct. 24, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST/6 PM Local

Probable Playing XI

India

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Babar Azam (C), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Weather Report

The weather in Dubai is predicted to be hot and humid, with the temperature expected to be around 31 degrees during the match.

Pitch Report

Although the pitches in Dubai have traditionally favored pace bowlers, there has been ample help for the spinners in recent matches. The batters have struggled to put up big scores consistently here, which has led to some close and exciting contests during the 2021 Indian T20 League. The average score on this pitch during the Indian T20 League this season has been 157 runs.

Toss

The team batting second has won 8 of the last 10 matches played here as the pitch tends to get a little better to bat on as the evening progresses. Putting a total on the board is proving to be more difficult in Dubai. That being said, a first-innings score of around 170 runs can be a competitive one here.

Top Fantasy Picks

Wicketkeeper

• Mohammad Rizwan is the leading run scorer in the T20 format since October 2020. In 23 matches, Mohammad Rizwan has made 880 runs at an average of 80, with 1 century and 8 fifties to his name. Expect him to fire in a big match like this one.

Batters

• KL Rahul is one of the in-form batters and clean hitters in T20 cricket right now. He has scored 1557 runs in 49 matches at an average of 39.92 and a strike rate of 142.19, including 2 centuries. Rahul is coming off an outstanding season in the Indian T20 League, making 626 runs at an outstanding average of 62.6 and strike rate of 138.8.
• Babar Azam has been one of the most consistent batters in the T20 format in recent times. In the last three years, no one has scored more T20I runs than Babar's 1173. He has 2206 runs to his name in 61 T20Is at an average of 46.89, including 1 century and 20 fifties. Azam has scored 3 fifties and a hundred in his last seven innings, including a 50 in the first warm-up match.

All-rounder

• Ravindra Jadeja has done an excellent job with his all-round show for Chennai this season. In 16 matches, Jadeja has taken 13 wickets at an economy rate of 7.06 and scored 227 runs at a strike rate of 145.51. Moreover, he is a brilliant fielder and can make a difference with it in a high octane clash like this.

Bowlers

• Shardul Thakur has been in outstanding wicket-taking form in the second leg of the Indian T20 League for Chennai, taking 16 wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 7.64. Moreover, he picked up 9 wickets at this very same venue, with best figures of 3/28.
• Hasan Ali has enjoyed success over the last year or so for Pakistan across all formats. His accuracy and death-overs variations are bound to get him a wicket or two. He has picked up 173 wickets in his T20 career at an average of 20.66. In addition to that, Hasan's pinch-hitting batting ability will come in handy here. 

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: M Rizwan, R Pant
• Batters: KL Rahul, V Kohli, B Azam 
• All-rounders: R Jadeja, M Hafeez
• Bowlers: J Bumrah, S Thakur, H Ali, S Afridi

• Captain: S Thakur/KL Rahul
• Vice Captain: M Rizwan/M Hafeez

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the T20 World Cup. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!