CWC 2023: India vs Pakistan match preview

The most-anticipated match of the World Cup is here. India have got off to a strong start and will be feeling confident to take on Pakistan at the largest cricket stadium in the world.

But they also have a lot to lose. Whether to respond to that with a conservative approach, or come out all guns blazing, will decide their fate. Shubman Gill is back in the nets after having contracted dengue, but his participation in the game is still unclear, with India expected to go in with the same XI. Rohit Sharma, at the press conference though, said that Gill was “99 per cent” available.

Pakistan registered a record run-chase against Sri Lanka and are looking good. The fact that they have won their first two games relatively comfortably without their main batter and bowler, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi respectively, firing, is a positive they can take into the India game. Abdullah Shafique’s emergence and Saud Shakeel’s dynamic batting in the middle order has given them the belief that they are not dependent on one or two players.

IND vs PAK fantasy tips

[caption id=”attachment_586697″ align=”alignnone” width=”1200″] Shubman Gill made an appearance at the nets ahead of IND vs PAK[/caption]

# Rohit Sharma brought his A game against Afghanistan, conquering the left-arm threat of Fazalhaq Farooqi. With Shaheen Afridi not in good rhythm, and Rohit having recently scored a half-century against Pakistan, he should feature in your team.

# Shaheen averages 51.5 with the ball from two games at the World Cup so far. He does not seem to be 100 per cent fit. He can be avoided, particularly if Pakistan are bowling first.

# Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah should both make it into your XI, especially if India bowl second, given how the ball behaves under lights at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Both bowlers are excellent exponents of swing bowling and will put the Pakistan top order under trouble.

# Mohammad Rizwan has scored more than 800 runs at an average of 75.2 and a strike rate of 94.7 in ODIs this year, with seven 50s and one hundred, which came in the last game against Sri Lanka. He is Pakistan’s most in-form batter and should be in your side.

# Babar Azam has not crossed 30 in his last 5 ODIs. He doesn’t have a great record against India either – average of 28 from 6 games with no half-centuries. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to not pick him, especially if Pakistan are chasing.

India vs Pakistan: Predicted 11

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali.

IND vs PAK: Dream11 team

Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Mohammad Rizwan

Batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique

All-rounders: Mohammad Nawaz, Hardik Pandya

Bowlers: Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Haris Rauf

Captaincy options: Virat Kohli, Mohammad Rizwan, Hardik Pandya

Potential swaps: Babar Azam for Abdullah Shafique, Shadab Khan for Abdullah Shafique, Shaheen Afridi for Haris Rauf