IND vs PAK: Match Preview– ICC World Cup 2023, Match 12. The IND vs PAK ICC World Cup 2023 match will be played in Ahmedabad. The match starts at 2 pm IST. This is the third game for both teams in this World Cup and the eighth meeting between India and Pakistan in 50-over World Cups. Pakistan are yet to beat India in World Cups.
India will be led by Rohit Sharma who is heading into this game after his seventh World Cup ton overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of six. After a hard-working win over Australia, India cruised to a win over Afghanistan and boosted their NRR in the process.
Pakistan too are heading into this game on the back of consecutive wins. They chased down the highest score in World Cups to notch up their second win against Sri Lanka. Now up against India, they are up against it as they are yet to win against India in 50-over World Cups. Between 1992-2019, India have beaten Pakistan seven times and are looking for their eighth World Cup win.
India recently defeated Pakistan in the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2023. Pakistan, meanwhile won their last ODI game against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. Despite playing close games against the Men in Blue, the Men in Green have always ended up on the wrong side of the result.
The build-up to the IND vs PAK game has been huge. Prices of tickets and hotels have skyrocketed. Meanwhile, there are reports that PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf will be traveling to India to witness this high-octane clash. There are also reports that around 60 Pakistani journalists will be traveling across the border to cover this epic contest.
Also Read: IND vs PAK: Rohit Sharma Breaks Kapil Dev’s Record To Become Fastest Indian Batter To Score A Hundred In World Cup History
The ICC World Cup 2023 is done with its first week, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and South Africa have been the top four teams in the past week. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, and the Netherlands are 10 teams part of the ICC World Cup 2023. The ICC World Cup 2023 final will take place on November 19.
IND vs PAK: Match Preview– ICC World Cup 2023, Match 12
India
The Indian team delivered a flawless performance against Afghanistan. They were clinical with both bat and ball. However, a few players need to work on their game from a personal point of view. Mohammed Siraj went for 76 runs off his nine overs and ideally should be replaced with Mohammed Shami in the match against Pakistan. Shami recently picked up a fifer against Australia and is the more experienced of the two bowlers.
Shubman Gill reached Ahmedabad on Wednesday night but might not be fit in time to play the match against Pakistan. This means Ishan Kishan will get another match to prove his mettle. He scored a run-a-ball47 against the Afghans. The other change the management can think about making is recalling Ravichandran Ashwin back into the XI in place of Shardul Thakur. Ashwin’s experience in big matches is something that the team can bank upon.
India Squad for ICC World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav
Pakistan
Pakistan are heading into this match after registering a record run-chase in World Cups. The call to include Abdullah Shafique in the XI in place of Fakhar Zaman worked wonders. Mohammad Rizwan’s top-class century was the other highlight of Pakistan’s win. He along with Babar Aszam will be the two key batters for the India clash.
Babar Azam as the skipper will be under extreme pressure as this is the first time he will lead his team against India in a World Cup match. From a batting perspective, he is yet to score a half-century against India in ODIs and will be expected to score runs after two low scores in the tournament so far.
From a bowling perspective, the absence of Naseem Shah continues to weaken the Pakistan pace attack. Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali seem fitter than Shaheen Afridi who has an injured finger. The tall and lanky pacer is key to Pakistan’s hopes if they are to challenge India in this big clash. He also has been struggling with back problems. It will also be interesting to see if they bring in an additional spinner in place of a seamer to counter the impact of dew.
Pakistan Squad for ICC World Cup 2023: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim
Also Read: IND vs PAK: Pakistan Satisfied With Security Arrangements In Ahmedabad: Report
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