Sound bowling options give Pakistan edge
A preview of the second India-Pakistan T20 in Ahmedabad
Match facts
December 28, 2012Start time 1700 (1130 GMT)
Big Picture
A fabled rivalry was renewed after a five-year hiatus with a cracking match in Bangalore. The track wasn't the usual Twenty20 bowler-killing slab, having enough spice to interest the quicks. There were collapses, fightbacks and some heated moments, before Shoaib Malik enhanced his reputation for raising his game against India with a half-century that was topped off by a match-winning six in the final over. Ahmedabad fans will hope for similar thrills, but a different result, on Friday.Form guide
India LLWWW (Completed games, most recent first)Pakistan WLWLW
Players to watch
A noisy Chinnaswamy Stadium became even more deafeningly loud when debutant seam bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the ball to snake both ways, castling two Pakistan batsmen and having another caught behind. It was not just the swerving deliveries that excited the fans but the manner in which he set up the dismissals. It was a dream start for Bhuvneshwar, but can he repeat the magic or was it a one-off? Ahmedabad will give us a clue.Stats and Trivia
- Umar Akmal's zero in the first T20 was the fifth of his career, leaving him one behind four players - including Shahid Afridi - for the most ducks in T20s
- Virat Kohli needs 29 runs to break Martin Guptill's record for the most T20 runs in a calendar year*
Quotes
Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistan captain
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the India medium-pacer
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo