The Indian cricket team is geared up to face their arch-rivals Pakistan in the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Both teams are coming into this contest on the back of wins in their last few games. However, India has been more impressive with their performances so far. Additionally, India has historically held an upper hand over Pakistan in ODI Cricket World Cups and recently defeated them by a massive 228-run margin in the Asia Cup 2023. It remains to be seen how this battle will unfold. Let’s take a look at India’s playing XI for this highly anticipated clash against Pakistan.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill missed the first two matches of the tournament due to dengue, but skipper Rohit Sharma stated that there is a “99% chance” of Gill making his ODI Cricket World Cup debut. In Gill’s absence, Ishan Kishan opened the batting, but it is likely that he will not be part of the playing XI against Pakistan. Rohit made a disappointing start against Australia, but he bounced back with a brilliant 131 off just 84 deliveries against Afghanistan. He is expected to continue his good form.
Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul
Kohli, Iyer, and Rahul will bat at No. 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Kohli has been in excellent form in this tournament, playing match-winning innings of 84 and 55* against Australia and Afghanistan respectively. Iyer was dismissed for a duck against Australia but remained unbeaten on 25 against Afghanistan. KL Rahul, who has been in sublime form since his return from injury, also played a crucial knock of 97* against Australia. Both Kohli and Rahul scored centuries against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, so this middle-order will play a crucial role in the upcoming match.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur
India will field three all-rounders in Pandya, Jadeja, and Thakur for this crucial clash. Pandya has had brief contributions in both matches so far. Against Australia, he picked up a wicket and remained unbeaten on 11. He followed that up with another impressive performance against Afghanistan, where he took two wickets. Jadeja, on the other hand, hasn’t had a chance to bat yet but has bowled well in both games, with his best figures of 10-2-28-3 coming against Australia. Thakur has played only one game so far, against Afghanistan, where he took a wicket with an economy rate of 5.1 runs per over. All three players will be eager to make an impact in this crucial clash.
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj/Mohammed Shami
Kuldeep has performed well in both matches, taking a total of three wickets at an economy rate of 4.10. Jasprit Bumrah has been India’s leading wicket-taker with six wickets to his name. His best performance came with a spell of 4-39 against Afghanistan. Siraj, however, has struggled a bit. He bowled well against Australia, taking a wicket at an economy rate of around 4.00. But he leaked 76 runs in his nine overs against Afghanistan. India might consider giving Mohammed Shami a chance in place of Siraj for this high-profile clash.
India’s predicted XI for the Cricket World Cup 2023 clash against Pakistan:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj/Mohammed Shami.