Time for India vs Pakistan but all eyes on Bumrah and Shaheen

Whenever India play against Pakistan, subplots abound. Things will be no different in their Asia Cup clash in Pallekele on Saturday — the first of possibly three games between them in this tournament. Between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, batters who effortlessly blend artistry with an appetite for run-scoring, who will have a greater impact? Will Kuldeep Yadav weave magic with his left-arm wrist-spin or will leg-spinner Shadab Khan be more effective through the middle overs? Can Hardik Pandya pull out the big hits at No. 6? Or will Iftikhar Ahmed's six-hitting prowess come up trumps?

All of these are fascinating mini-battles likely to have a say on the outcome of the game on Saturday. But if we are to look at the bigger picture — the Asia Cup is a chance to fine-tune for the World Cup after all — it is the performances of pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi after battling long-term injuries that will be viewed with the most discerning of eyes. Nobody, arguably, is as closely intertwined as they are with their teams' fortunes at this year's ODI World Cup, never mind what the numbers may say.

A year ago, neither found the Asia Cup to be auspicious. On the eve of the tournament, which served as a precursor to the T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November, Bumrah was diagnosed with a lower-back injury while Afridi was down with knee trouble. The Pakistan left-arm pacer returned in time for the big-ticket event, but his approach was gingerly right through, the cost of perhaps rushing his recovery felt in the final against England when he would pull up at the start of his third over and hobble off the field. Though Afridi returned to play for Pakistan in April, a face-off against India is his most compelling challenge since his comeback. Bumrah, of course, has had an excruciating, almost year-long wait for competitive action while dealing with the complications of a career-afflicting injury.

Now back without constraints or caveats, both will be longing to make up for lost time in their respective roles as leaders of the pace bowling pack. The signs have been encouraging. Bumrah made a solid comeback in the T20 series against Ireland, picking up four wickets across eight overs in two matches. He seems to have made further progress in India's training camp in Bengaluru before boarding the flight to Sri Lanka, gradually building up his workload and beginning to bowl at full tilt.

He will know that a low-key T20 series in the idyllic setting of Ireland is far removed from the cauldron of an India-Pakistan encounter anywhere in the world. Can he remain unflustered when Fakhar Zaman for instance looks to unsettle him? Can he breach the rock-solid defenses of Azam and Mohammad Rizwan? How will his lower back react to the load of ten overs in such a high-pressure environment?

Bumrah will be seeking these answers himself over the next few weeks. Because the 29-year-old, and India by extension, cannot allow even a smidgen of self-doubt heading into a World Cup campaign at home. They paid the price at last year's T20 World Cup, when an attack without Bumrah notably lacked bite in the semi-final exit against England.

To be sure, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur make for a strong support cast in the pace department, but Bumrah is that protagonist who embellishes a scene by his mere presence. Data may point only to a marginal difference — India have a win percentage of 68.05 with Bumrah in the side as opposed to 64.6 without him.

But there is a certain X-factor that bowlers of his ilk bring, going beyond his impressive career record of 121 wickets in 72 ODIs at a strike rate of 31.4. Be it his ability to move the new ball both ways, his clever assortment of slower balls or his pinpoint execution of the yorker, you can bank on Bumrah to deliver at various stages of a one-day innings.

"It's great to have Bumrah back and bowling well. Jasprit is someone we've missed a lot over the past two years. We will ease him into it slowly. It was nice for him to ease in on the tour of Ireland by bowling four overs. We now have a chance to build that up in the Asia Cup. We have a whole month now before the World Cup. It gives us more options in the pace bowling department," India coach Rahul Dravid told reporters after the six-day training camp.

Afridi, taller and ganglier, exudes similar attributes for Pakistan, who won 55% of their matches with him in the playing XI. The left-arm pacer warmed up for the game on Saturday by claiming 2/27 against Nepal in Multan on Wednesday. While Kushal Bhurtel was caught by Rizwan with a strangle down the leg-side, Rohit Paudel was undone by a trademark inswinging yorker that batters far more accomplished than the Nepal captain have floundered against. Just ask the India captain, who was dismissed off his first ball in their T20 World Cup showdown in Dubai two years ago.

Given the schedule in front of us, Bumrah and Shaheen will certainly have plenty of opportunities over the next two months to flaunt these skills. They will hope that the game on Saturday is a tidy beginning to that endeavour.