Pakistan vs India is one of the biggest rivalries in sports. If we talk about the game of cricket specifically, this rivalry tops the list without any shadow of a doubt. In the history of cricket, no rivalry has matched the class of Pakistan vs India. Whenever the players of both teams arrive on the field, there is tremendous pressure and tension on both sides of the border.
The best cricketers from both teams engage in the blistering battle between bat and ball. As the political tensions escalated between both countries, we witness Pakistan vs India contests rarely.
It is only in the events like Asia Cup and World Cup, Pakistan and India play against each other. Recently, there was a huge audience on the occasion of the Pakistan vs India T20 World Cup contest at MCG. Could you imagine a Test match between India and Pakistan at MCG?
In modern-era cricket, India has always enjoyed the upper hand against Pakistan. Due to the investment BCCI put in Indian cricket and the kind of exposure which Indian cricketers have, India has been a terrific side. On the other hand, Pakistan has performed in modern-era cricket in bits and pieces. In the 21st century, Pakistan has never been a team that dominated India consistently.
Yes, Pakistan won the game vs India on some occasions like Champions Trophy 2017 and T20 World Cup 2021. Those were the convincing victories. However, there was no sheer dominance from the Pakistan side vs India. Let’s get back to the point. Will all the hype of Pakistan vs India contest, what it would be like if Pakistan and India plays a Test match at MCG? Would that be an event of dreams?
Pakistani Bowling vs Indian Batting at MCG
Melbourne Cricket Ground provides a tremendous amount of support to the fast bowlers. In modern-era cricket, Pakistan has the services of wonderful fast bowlers. There is no doubt that Pakistan has one of the best bowling attacks in the world. There is quality after quality that runs in the bowling side of the Pakistan team. Pakistan has Shaheen Khan Afridi who is a terrific bowler.
If we talk about the top-class fast bowlers in the world, the name Shaheen Khan Afridi would surely arrive to mind. He is a player who could swing the bowl both ways to trouble the batsmen. Now imagine MCG provided amazing support to the fast bowlers.
Do you love to watch cricket? Are you the kind of follower of cricketer who likes to watch follow the games on all five days of the Test matches? What about knowing the fixtures of the game before your favorite cricket series is going to happen? Now imagine Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG is going to be played in August 2023.
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Would like like to know all the statistics of the India-Pakistan game to gear up for the game? Would you like to follow all the expert analysis happening on cricket websites? How Babar Azam is going to handle the pressure of the biggest game and what is the expected audience at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during this contest?
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Rohit vs Shaheen
So what about the contest of Rohit vs Shaheen in the Test match at MCG? Shaheen is a left-arm pacer. He would like to bring the ball in against Rohit Sharma to strike him LBW in the contest. The masterclass of Shaheen Khan Afridi does not only contain swinging deliveries. He is a player who could bowl with sheer pace. Rohit Sharma is a terrific player. However, we have observed his weakness against the moving ball. The batsman frequently finds it difficult to hit it elegantly against the moving in swinger.
Day 1 of the Boxing Day of Pakistan vs India at MCG. Shaheen Afridi delivers a beautiful inswinger. It just misses the stump by an inch. Just imagine the reaction of the crowd which is packed with a huge audience. Then after 5 overs, Afridi loses his line and length. Rohit Sharma hits the boundary against the weak delivery bowled at the 7th stump. He enjoys the wonderful shot. But Afridi makes a comeback and shatters the middle stump of Rohit Sharma. Wow, what a wonderful and astonishing contest.
Kohli vs Naseem
Naseem Shah has just arrived on the cricket circuit but he has become an integral part of the Pakistan side. If we talk about the frontline paces of the Pakistani side, the name of Shah arrives to mind. Shah has demonstrated his worth after bowling some astonishing spells in cricket.
You might think that Kohli vs Naseem would not be one of the biggest contests in Pakistan vs India rivalry at MCG due to the age factor of Naseem. Shah has just arrived in the circuit. Kohli has been ruling the game of cricket for some time. How this could be a contest?
Man, oh, man! Don’t underestimate Naseem Shah. He is a phenomenal bowler. Shah has all the varieties in his bag to trouble the batsmen. He is a player who could bowl with sheer pace. Shah can bowl awesome outswingers and inswingers to trouble one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
Virat Kohli is a classic textbook cricketer. He has a spectacular range of shots to dominate the opposition. He has proved his worth in all parts of the ground. When Kohli gets started, there is a huge trouble for the opposition. He has his own way of playing the contest.
If Pakistan vs India Test match contest happens at MCG, you could expect a phenomenal knock from Virat Kohli. But cricket is often a game of one ball. A wonderful outswinger from Naseem Shah delivered at the 4th stump could send Kohli to the pavilion. But keeping in a perspective class of Kohli, you could expect the legendary cricketer to win the contest.
Pujara vs Haris Rauf
Cheteshwar Pujara is one of the composed Test batsmen. He often reminds cricket experts of Rahul Dravid. Pujara annoys the opposition and builds the innings in a spectacular manner. The way he manages and builds the innings is great. Haris Rauf has emerged as one of the promising fast bowlers in the modern era. He bowls with express pace to trouble the opposition.
We saw in Pakistan vs India contest at MCG how Haris troubled the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma in the World Cup contest. While Pujara is a great player, we can’t underestimate the fast bowling skillset of Haris Rauf. Haris is a great bowler. Pujara follows patience in the innings. He likes to play the innings knowing the fast bowlers of the opposition well. On the other hand, Haris is a player who could bowl awesome bouncers. The conditions of Melbourne Cricket Ground suit his bowling.
The Express Pace of Haris vs Composed Pujara
We have seen how Haris bowls with an express pace of 150+ in cricket. Now imagine Pujara facing Haris when India is 40/1 after 15 overs at MCG. It is a packed stadium. Haris is all set to trap Pujara. We all know the masterclass of Cheteshwar Pujara.
Even though the wonderful pace of bowling might not create trouble for him. Haris should try something out of the box. There is a huge audience at MCG cheering for Haris to shatter those stumps. But Pujara is composed on the other hand. He is ready for anything Haris is going to deliver at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Haris comes on to deliver a beautiful outswinger to destroy the plans of Pujara. It is the first time in the innings Pujara looks a bit uneasy. This time Haris comes up with a scintillating inswinger. He appeals for the LBW as the ball struck the pads of Pujara. It looks a bit close. But the instant replay reveals that it was an inside edge. Pakistan saved the review. But it sure looked like a close call. It was a bit scary experience for Pujara. But this is how things patch up the Pakistan vs India rivalry at MCG.
Risabh Pant vs Haris Rauf
Another interesting contest is Risabh Pant vs Haris Rauf in the Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG. Haris loves to deliver the thunderbolts and Pant is a cricketer who loves to hit the ball hard. There is no doubt that Pant is a terrific cricketer and he likes to smash the ball all around the park even in Test cricket. Haris is a player who bowls with express pace but Pant likes to hit the ball with extreme pace.
At the point of the innings when the score is 180/5 and Pant is all set on the crease, the game could go either way. Could we expect a phenomenal cameo from Pant which features the Indian wicket-keeper batsman literally smashing the ball everything at MCG and India getting back to the game? We observed the same pattern when Pant hit the deliveries at Gabba.
This is how he plays Test cricket. Haris Rauf is a rookie in Test cricket. Yes, nobody is denying the fact that he is one of the most dangerous bowlers in Test cricket but experience matters in the biggest games. But could we deny the brilliance of Akhtar at Eden Garden when he was just new to the circuit?
Reminds of T20 World Cup 2022
It is the time for the Haris to make the mark. He should demonstrate the T20 World Cup 2022 spell when India was missing the plot and fell into extreme trouble during the hugest contest. The Pakistani Army in the crowd is cheering for him. A spectacular over would turn the innings and a fireball yorker will send Risabh Pant to the pavilion.
What a beauty contest that would be! Risabh vs Haris. MCG is one of the great stadiums in Test cricket. According to modern-era cricket standards, the fiery rivalry is displayed on the field. What a great contest of cricket.
The Pakistan Batting Side vs The Indian Bowling at MCG
Pakistan is renowned for having a great bowling attack. However, in the modern era of cricket, the side had batsmen who have been demonstrating fine display on the field. With the arrival of Babar Azam in the Pakistan Cricket circuit, we could truly appreciate Pakistan for its batting traits. In the cricket of old times, India did not have tremendously impressive bowlers like Pakistan. It was generally a contest of the India batting vs Pakistan bowling in cricket. Things have been changing a bit.
After Babar Azam, players like Abdullah Shafique and Imam ul Haq have shown how Pakistan is improving tremendously in the batting department. On the other hand, the performance of Jasprit Bumrah in the longest format of the game is scintillating. With all these factors in perspective, India has become a fine bowling attack and we can’t rule out Pakistan’s batting. So what all the story would look like in the Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG?
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Jasprit Bumrah vs Babar Azam
This is an obvious contest in Pakistan vs India contest at MCG. If we talk about the hugest contests in Pakistan vs India game, Jasprit Bumrah vs Babar Azam would be among the top entries. When Bumrah came to the international circuit, he was often seen as the limited-overs cricket specialist. But when he started performing in the longest format of the game, the experts started knowing of his masterclass in the Test format. Bumrah is astonishing. He is unique. Bumrah could bowl amazing outswingers to get the edge off the bat of Babar Azam in the Test match contest at MCG.
Bouncers, In-Swingers, Out-Swingers, Express Pace and Great Yorkers, Bumrah has all the varieties and deliveries in his cricketing textbook to trouble the other batsman. But MCG often becomes the flat deck. There is no doubt that the pitch of MCG generates bounce and provides great support to the bowlers. However, the batsmen who bat with a composing technique often become successful at Melbourne Cricket Ground. We have seen the similar how Virat Kohli has been successful in the Australian conditions in the format of Test cricket.
Woah, What a Contest!
Bumrah is a great bowler but he is up against one of the finest batsmen of modern-era cricket. If Bumrah has all the varieties in his cricketing textbook, Babar has all the shots in his textbook. Following the lunch session in Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG, Bumrah makes all the plans to dismiss Babar Azam and returns him to the pavilion. He is all set to deliver a great inswinger that would strike the pads of Babar Azam. However, Babar is a cricketer who comes up with a plan. He plays an astonishing leg-side flick to hit the stands of the Pakistan cricket team fans. There is a huge applause on the wonderful shot of Babar Azam.
Next delivery, Bumrah delivers on the 4th stump channel. It is supposed to be a terrific outswinger. However, Babar Azam smashed it for a cover drive and hit a great shot. Now, this contest become even more interesting at MCG. The frustration is evident on the face of Bumrah. On one side, the experts hold the opinion that Bumrah is terrific and he could surely dismiss Babar Azam. On the other side, the rival is winning this battle. But the Test match is a long game. Wow! How those scenes would be in the Pakistan vs India contest at MCG?
Imam ul Haq vs Mohammad Siraj
Imam ul Haq has his own way of playing the format of Test cricket. He is criticized for following the pattern of conventional cricket in modern-era cricket. There are basically two sides to any opinion. One side of the cricket experts says that the conventional cricket playing style is supposed to be followed in the format of Test cricket. You need to follow patience and composedness on the crease to make a mark in Test cricket.
However, the conditions in MCG are pretty different. At the pitch like MCG, a batsman can’t always follow the pattern of blocking the deliveries coming at him. While Imam is a fine cricketer according to the red-ball cricket standards, the masterclass of Siraj could surely test him. We have seen how Siraj has dominated the longest format of the game with his scintillating bowling display.
The Underrated Encounter
While some of the cricket experts ruled out the justification of Siraj for the Indian squad, the bowler has proved with his fast bowling that he is one of the frontline pacers of the Indian bowling side. Siraj vs Imam ul Haq is an important contest early in the game because there are two phases or sides of Imam ul Haq. On the one side, Imam returns to the pavilion in the initial phase of the innings because tricky fast bowling traps him in the early part of the innings.
On the other hand, when Imam starts playing the long innings, he gets set on the crease and it is difficult to dismiss him. Observing the pattern of success that Siraj had in Test cricket, Imam needs to get through his overs in the Pakistan vs India contest at MCG. Siraj could bowl outswingers and inswingers which could book the early ticket Imam to the pavilion.
But tackling the situation in a composed manner is important. Imam ul Haq is a player who could do that. While there are some heavyweight contests, Siraj vs Imam would be one of the most interesting contests in the Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG.
Mohammad Rizwan vs Ravichandran Ashwin
On his youtube channel, we have seen how Ashwin has praised Rizwan for his brilliance in the game of cricket. So how would Ashwin cope when he is up against Rizwan in the longest format of the game on the occasion of the biggest Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG? Pakistan is 190/5 and Mohammad Rizwan is on the crease. We have seen how Rizwan plays spin bowling well in cricket. He demonstrates masterclass batting display on the field when he is in form.
However, Rizwan of the Test cricket format is often criticized because he has not been much consistent. But the athletics he shows on the field are great despite the statistics. He has transformed into a batsman. But Ravichandran Ashwin is a tough customer in the format of Test cricket. A spectacular off-spin delivery could end the stint of Rizwan and Pakistan might be in huge trouble in Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG. Rizwan is a calm cricketer. There would be one advantage for Rizwan in this great contest at MCG. The pitch of Melbourne Cricket Ground is not the best for spin bowlers.
It is Not a Rank Turner
The spinners find it difficult to turn the ball at this stadium. In Eden Gardens Kolkata, the home side has the advantage of rank turners. This time Ashwin is facing one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen on the pitch which favors the fast bowler. However, great cricketers do not care for the pitch. They demonstrate scintillating display on any kind of track. Ashwin would like to pick the wicket of Rizwan in his strong zone. The bowlers know that Rizwan is an astonishing executor of the leg-side sweeps.
He loves to play the sweep shots to annoy the spinner of the opposition. While Ashwin is one of the best spinners in modern-era cricket, it would be a hectic task to trap Rizwan in this contest. But there is no doubt that Rizwan could be trapped. A delivery on the leg-side channel could result in Rizwan playing a slog sweep for a six. Melbourne Cricket Ground has a huge boundary.
Pakistan vs India Test at MCG: Please Organise This Content
Pakistan vs India Test match at MCG would surely produce a tremendous crowd at Melbourne Cricket Ground. We could expect a packed audience on all five days of the contest. This could make records. We have seen how the views of Pakistan vs India game are more than the UEFA Champions League final. There are certain reasons for this fact. The huge population of India and Pakistan combined surely does make the difference.
However, even the top news providers like CNN and BBC in the world know how great this rivalry is. There is coverage for Pakistan vs India contest when it is on. The international audiences take interest as the Pakistan and Indian students arrange the screening for the biggest rivalry in the countries like America and Canada. When the atmosphere and aura build around his huge contest, people know great the rivalry between Pakistan vs India is.
If we talk about the Asian countries specifically, there would be tremendous interest among the Bangladesh fans for Pakistan vs India contest at MCG. Whenever the Pakistan vs India contest happens, there is a screening in Dhaka full of Bangladeshi fans for the match. The fans are anticipated to watch the enthralling contest of Shaheen vs Virat Kohli live on the screen.
Pakistan vs India game is huge without any shadow of a doubt. Both countries should meet a common ground and finally organize a Test match between Pakistan and India. Because surely Pakistan vs India is the great battle in cricket. Are you a keen follower of cricket? If yes, then you could go to the best online cricket news sites in the United Kingdom to find out the numbers.
