The cricket team of Nepal will soon face two cricket giants in the upcoming matches. In the Asia Cup, Nepal’s competitors India and Pakistan are both former World Cup winners, while in the upcoming One Day World Cup, they are also contenders.
Both nations are fielding their strong teams with the aim of winning the Asia Cup title. Nepal’s goal, on the other hand, is to participate with dignity. The Nepali cricket supporters do not want a one-sided competition. Even a “upset result” in a match would be unprecedented and historic.
India and Pakistan have distinct specialties in their teams. Both the batting and bowling sides of India are well-balanced and excellent. The teams consists of a mix of experienced and young players. Pakistan on the other hand relies heavily on 3-4 players. Pakistan’s fast bowlers are formidable, but their spin department appears weaker.
When it comes to batting, both India and Pakistan have world-class batsmen. The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Hardik Pandya from India, and Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, and Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan are potent batsmen. However the Pakistani batsmen do not have as much impact as their Indian counterparts.
Among these, two batsmen stand out, surprising even the best bowlers with their excellence. Those are Virat Kohli from India and Babar Azam from Pakistan. These two batsmen hold the highest positions in the current list of world-class batsmen. Babar has recently claimed the top spot in the One Day International rankings. Kohli on the other hand, has been atop the charts for a long time. Both are currently at the forefront of world-class batsmen.
The ability of these two batsmen to play any kind of bowling is impressive. They are a nightmare for bowlers including fast and spin. They handle challenging conditions with ease and don’t show any significant weaknesses. Even though the opposition may exploit some minor flaws, they don’t let the bowlers get a hold over them.
In this competition, Nepali batsmen have the biggest dream – to dismiss Kohli or Babar’s wicket would they succeed?
In today’s cricket Kohli is one of the most high-profile players. Among active players, he holds records for making the most runs in One Day Internationals and for scoring the most centuries. Kohli has played 275 One Day Internationals and has scored a staggering 12,898 runs. His average run score is over 57 which showcases his excellence.
Kohli has made 46 centuries in ODIs. He has surpassed the records of his country’s cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in various aspects. Kohli’s batting average of over 57 is an indicator of his exceptional performance.
Kohli is known for his exceptional cover drive. He is excellent at scoring runs through that shot. However, he sometimes struggles against good-length deliveries outside the off-stump, particularly in England and Australia.
Babar Azam, Pakistan’s batting backbone, is just 28 years old. He is often compared with Kohli by cricket enthusiasts. In terms of cricket statistics he is ahead of many renowned batsmen. He has broken many records and continues to improve. Babar has been at the top of the rankings in Test, One Day International, and T20 cricket. He is currently ranked 4th in Tests and 3rd in T20. No one has been able to remove him from the top spot in ODIs.
Babar excels in playing shots through covers. He plays that shot with grace and accuracy. However, his main weakness is that he sometimes fails to capitalize on a good length ball. He mostly struggles against deliveries outside the off-stump. Oppening bowlers exploit this weakness.
Babar plays sensibly and doesn’t get carried away with aggressive shots. He often accumulates runs steadily rather than going for risky shots. He is capable of handling any kind of bowler. His off-side play is strong, and he rarely misses an opportunity to play a beautiful cover drive.
Babar’s defensive play is one of his weaknesses. He struggles in playing the ball too close to his body. This is something that opposition bowlers look to exploit particularly in conditions that assist seam movement.
Nepal’s Bowling
Nepal’s bowling relies heavily on spinners and lacks quality fast bowlers. Spinners like Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, and Gulshan Jha lack pace and accuracy, which could be concerning against batsmen like Kohli and Babar. Nepal lacks strong fast bowlers who can exploit the conditions of Pakistan and Sri Lanka pitches. Utilizing Lalit Rajbanshi as a mystery spinner against Babar and Kohli could be an option. Similarly, Sandeep Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee might be capable of taking their wickets.
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