India vs Pakistan 2019: 3 Pakistani players who pose a threat to India

Deemed as one of the biggest rivalries in cricket, the India-Pakistan clash in Manchester, on Sunday, marks the first encounter between the teams since last year's Asia Cup.

As the clock ticks towards the hugely-anticipated Indo-Pak game in the ongoing World Cup, the expectations seem to be on the rise with each passing hour.

While India will be entering the fray as firm favourites, they would be wary of a mercurial Pakistan side. The Sarfaraz Ahmed-led team shocked everyone by overturning England a few weeks ago and will be determined to beat their arch-rivals in the all-important game on Sunday. Here are 3 cricketers from Pakistan who hold the key for the green brigade and come as major threats to Team India.

#1 Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir has been scripting a brilliant tale after his surprise inclusion in Pakistan's World Cup squad. Fast, accurate and lethal, Amir has been getting the ball to talk in England's seam-friendly conditions, thereby causing plenty of headaches to the batsmen. While he first grabbed eyeballs with a commendable show against the Windies, Pakistan's game against England saw him pick crucial wickets to peg the game in his team's favour. However, it is his latest show against Australia that stood out. Bagging 5 wickets for just 30 runs in a spell of 10 overs, Amir accounted for superb figures against a strong Aussie batting line-up.

Come Sunday and the speedster will be breathing fire against India. Pakistan will bank their hopes on getting India's top order cheaply and given Amir's recent exploits against Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, you wouldn't want to go far from the contest.

#2 Mohammad Hafeez

Popularly known as "The Professor" among his teammates, Mohammad Hafeez is a key player for Pakistan. An experienced campaigner who has handled the big-stage pressure on multiple occasions, Hafeez provides rock-solid stability to the team's middle-order. From guiding the team in precarious situations to opening his shoulders at the death, the right-hander can steer his innings through different gears as per the team's need.

After scoring a match-winning knock against England, Hafeez looked in good touch in his last outing as well to score 46 against Australia. A handy contributor with the ball too, the all-rounder comes as one of India's main threats in the upcoming clash between the two teams.

#3 Fakhar Zaman

Neither the Pakistanis nor the Indians would easily forget Fakhar Zaman's blitzkrieg in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. The left-hander unleased hell upon the Indians as he essayed a crucial innings to help Pakistan lift the trophy two years ago.

While his recent form will be a cause of concern in the Pakistani camp, the southpaw will be hoping for one good innings to turn things in his favour again; and what better an opportunity to do the same than while facing India? On Sunday, Zaman will be keen on repeating his heroics from 2017 to deliver another blow to the Indians. However, he'll be up against a deadly Jasprit Bumrah, who'll be raring to seek vengeance after the drama caused by his no ball in the Champions Trophy final.