4 factors that can affect India-Pakistan final matchup:IND’s opening fireworks in the powerplay, PAK’s pace battery, and Dubai pitch conditions

India and Pakistan are going to face each other in the Asia Cup final for the first time in 41 years. It was a one-sided victory for Team India against Pakistan in the group and Super-4 stages. Both matches were played in Dubai, and the final will also take place in Dubai on Sunday. In terms of form and momentum, Team India appears to be much more robust than Pakistan at the present juncture. However, Pakistan team has evolved throughout this tournament and tried to put up a fight in Super-4 game. Despite losing two matches to Men in Blue, Pakistan kept on pushing and beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to secure final berth. There is much off-field drama, but even in terms of on-field capabilities, Pakistan can set up a contentious battle. Who will have the upper hand in the final battle? To find out, we’ve analysed the matches played in the tournament so far. Eventually, we summarised four factors that could determine the outcome of the final match. Here are the four concluded factors Let’s understand all four factors in detail. Factor-1: Dilemma regarding pitch and toss The pitch has played a decisive role in Dubai. Since 2018, 20 T20I matches have been played here between the world’s top 8 teams. In 15 of these matchups, the team chasing the target has won. The captains had a clear mindset to win the toss, chose bowling and won the match. However, in two out of the last three matches, the team batting first managed to win the game, and one match ended in a tie. In the final, captains will face confusion whether to choose batting or bowling after winning the toss. So first, it needs to be seen what kind of pitch is prepared for the final? The pitch will play a major role again, and the captain’s decision to bat or field first could also be a deciding factor. Let’s take a look at the result how pitch has produced results in Dubai so far. Factor-2: India’s opening pair India’s opening pair has the ability to snatch the match from Pakistan on their own. Abhishek Sharma is in excellent form and has scored 3 consecutive fifties in the Super-4 stage. He is the tournament’s top run scorer and is scoring runs at a strike rate of over 200. While Abhishek scores runs quickly at one end, Shubman Gill builds the innings carefully at the other end. He accumulates runs steadily. Both have already achieved a century partnership against Pakistan. In 6 matches of the Asia Cup, they have scored 273 runs together at an average of over 45. If both stay at the crease in the final, the score could quickly reach around 80 in the power play itself. Considering Dubai’s low-scoring pitch, this score could prove to be a turning point. Factor-3: Pakistan’s Pace Bowling Pakistan has two strong pacers with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. Both have taken nine wickets each in the tournament. Haris took these wickets in just 4 matches, while Shaheen took 6 matches to reach the milestone. Shaheen starts the innings with the new ball and puts pressure on the opposing team by dismissing opening batters. On the other hand, Rauf troubles batsmen with his pace and bounce in the middle and death overs. Haris has even dismissed India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav three times in 3 T20Is. If Pakistan wants to maintain control in the match, both pacers need to perform well. Factor-4: India’s spin trio India’s spin department can also create difficulties for Pakistan. Kuldeep Yadav is the tournament’s top bowler with 12 wickets in just 6 matches. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel have taken 4 wickets each. Both maintain an economy rate of less than 6.20. Kuldeep always takes at least one wicket in every match against Pakistan. He has already taken 4 wickets against the team in the current tournament. Pakistani batters have had a lot of trouble understanding Kuldeep and Varun’s spin from the wrist. Besides spinners, Jasprit Bumrah’s performance can also tilt the balance in India’s favour.