Asia Cup 2018: India vs Pakistan, 4 Key Battles that will shape the contest

The sword of Fakhar Zaman

New Zealand v Pakistan - 4th ODI

The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry.

Especially if those plans run into Fakhar Zaman.

India have the threat of Fakhar Zaman hanging over their hands in the manner popularized by the Sword of Damocles. With an average of 72, a strike-rate of 101, and a personal best of 210*, he is the single most potent ODI batting weapon that Pakistan have possessed since the hey-day of Shahid Afridi. He is a powder-keg waiting to go off, and as he demonstrated the last time that these teams met, he goes off with several bangs.

Simply put, India must get him out quickly. As soon as possible. Within the first five overs. Fakhar Zaman has proven time and time again that he does not respect the bowlers or conventional wisdom, as likely to play a slog-sweep in the 25th over, as he is to play it in the 45th over. If he gets going, he will wreak merry havoc, and take the pressure off anybody batting with him, and anybody coming in after him, due to how quickly he scores. This is not a genie that India wants to try and put back into the bottle. As the well-known saying goes; prevention is better than cure.

They must fight fire with fire. They must set attacking fields, bowl attacking lines and lengths, and risk being fit for a flurry of boundaries in order to get him out. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah must use every bit of their considerable skills, and bowling IQ to throw him off his game. Their goal must be to get him out before Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal come on to bowl.

As the well-known saying goes; prevention is better than cure. As the not-so-well-known saying goes; you can't put toothpaste back into the tube.

India will be playing constant catch-up if their plan for Fakhar Zaman is damage control.