There is no doubt that on paper, the Indian team is far stronger that the Pakistani team, when it comes to the record of individual prowess. Yes, on a given day, it is just the team effort that count, but in T20I batting, strike-rate of any batter is the most important aspect. And that is where they clearly lack.
The stats also highlight a big bridge between the two teams. Just to bring that to the fore, Insidesport compares the strike-rates of all the batters in both the teams, before their T20 World Cup clash on Feb 15.
Pakistan batters in T20Is
| Batter | Strike-rate | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Babar Azam | 128.45 | 39.54 |
| Fakhar Zaman | 131.31 | 23.65 |
| Khawaja Nafay | 173.33 | 26.00 |
| Sahibzada Farhan | 129.15 | 25.47 |
| Saim Ayub | 132.97 | 20.92 |
| Usman Khan | 117.06 | 18.05 |
| Salman Agha | 117.19 | 23.74 |
| Shadab Khan | 140.68 | 18.13 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 137.18 | 18.84 |
| Faheem Ashraf | 135.32 | 12.95 |
It is quite evident with these numbers, that Pakistan just does not have batters who can consistently give them big runs, that too at a rapid pace. Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, who are the two openers for the team, can either guarantee a quick start with wickets, or a slowish start at the top of the order, without any wickets.
Out of the batters who play consistently, the best strike-rate is that of a bowling all-rounder — Shadab Khan who strikes at 140 but averages only 18. Babar Azam can be a solid player, averages 39, but the problem lies in the SR. Recently, there was a lot of criticism, where he participated in the BBL, and could only score 202 runs at a strike-rate of 103.
India batters in T20Is
| Batter | Strike-rate | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Suryakumar Yadav | 164.74 | 36.62 |
| Ishan Kishan | 131.59 | 26.70 |
| Sanju Samson | 147.86 | 24.36 |
| Rinku Singh | 162.30 | 45.21 |
| Axar Patel | 134.77 | 19.60 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 194.92 | 37.26 |
| Shivam Dube | 149.20 | 28.80 |
| Hardik Pandya | 143.29 | 28.18 |
| Tilak Varma | 144.09 | 49.29 |
| Washington Sundar | 134.39 | 16.93 |
On the other hand, there isn’t single batter in the Indian team, who can go for the big shots. At the top of the order is Abhishek Sharma, whose SR stands at just under 200. Then there is Sanju Samson, who despite his poor form, has a strike-rate of 147. His so-called replacement, Ishan has a SR of 132, which by his standards is less, but can accelerate. He recently scored 76 vs NZ, in only 30-odd deliveries.
Skipper Surya strikes at 164, Dube at 149, Hardik at 143, and Tilak at 144. Rinku is placed at 162. This only shows, that if Pakistan has to get better of India, they have to curtail the runs, and the wickets will come. But That is easier said than done; the two teams will meet in Lanka, where there could be assistance to the batters. Plus, some of the Indian batters don’t really rely on the pitch to elevate their game. So it could be trouble calling for Pakistan.
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