Ahmedabad: A highly-anticipated India vs Pakistan is set to take place in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 this Saturday in Ahmedabad, promising to be an extraordinary clash.
In their first game, India displayed remarkable bowling skills, particularly in the spin department, effectively troubling Australia. Despite a shaky start by their openers, India found solace in their formidable middle-order, as they showcased excellent form, a trend that continued against Afghanistan in their subsequent match.
Pakistan, too, boasts two victories in the tournament, one being a comfortable win against the Netherlands, and the other a record-breaking achievement against Sri Lanka.
Both teams have secured victories in their initial two matches of the tournament, albeit in different manners.
India managed a low-scoring triumph against Australia and effortlessly chased down a slightly below-par total set by Afghanistan. Key players in the Indian batting lineup have impressed, and Jasprit Bumrah’s outstanding bowling performance against Afghanistan played a pivotal role.
Pakistan made history by successfully chasing down a substantial score against Sri Lanka. However, they cannot afford to be negligent with their bowling performance against India, as the Indian team, especially with strong performers like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, can capitalise on any loose deliveries.
Notably, in the nine matches of the Cricket World Cup thus far, all nine Player of the Match awards have gone to batters. Surprisingly, this may present an interesting strategy, as diversifying the choices among these talented batters could be advantageous.
Sharma and Kohli stand a great chance of being India’s top run-scorers, while Pakistan’s best batters Babar Azam, inform Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan will likely need to excel for them to create an upset.
Expected Lineups:
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
