There is no bigger match in international cricket than Pakistan vs India, more so in the World Cup, where the world stops and supporters from both countries hold their breath and watch the arch-rivals take on one another. Regardless of the venue, the hype, the tension, and the drama remain the same.
The two teams are set to face each other for the eighth time in the history of the World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium, a venue capable of accommodating as many as 132,000 spectators, in Ahmedabad, India on October 14.
Rohit Sharma is eager to carry on the tradition of India beating Pakistan in the World Cup, while Babar Azam is keen to etch his name in history as the first Pakistani captain to defeat the Blues in the 50-over World Cup, similar to what he accomplished in the T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai.
Both teams are in red-hot form. The Green Shirts head to Ahmedabad after achieving the largest successful chase in the history of the mega event against Sri Lanka. The Blues showcased their prowess by chasing down the target of 273 runs in just 35 overs against Afghanistan in their last game, demonstrating their preparation for the highly anticipated encounter.
Addressing the persistent struggle of their top order, the Men in Green received a much-needed boost with the inclusion of Abdullah Shafique, who secured his maiden ODI hundred during Pakistan's record chase, as he is a reliable and technically sound batter who can accelerate the innings and provide stability during an early collapse.
On the other hand, the Indian team received long-awaited news when their skipper confirmed on Friday that star opener Shubman Gill is 99% available for selection. However, the 24-year-old’s return may pose a selection dilemma for Sharma. In Gill's absence, middle-order batter Ishan Kishan took on the role of an opener. With Gill potentially returning to the playing XI, India will need to choose between Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.
Head-to-Head
The arch-rivals have met one another 134 times in total in ODIs, with Pakistan winning 73 matches and India emerging victorious 56 times, while five times the match was tied. However, their head-to-head record in the World Cup is one-sided with the Blues emerging victorious seven out of seven times.
Pitch report
Historically, the wicket in Ahmedabad has supported batters as the highest ODI score in the stadium is 365 which South Africa scored vs Zimbabwe in 2010. However, recent pitch conditions at the Narendra Modi Stadium are expected to favour bowlers, particularly pacers who may find early seam and swing. This could pose challenges for the batters initially, but they should be able to play their shots more freely after getting accustomed to the conditions. Teams winning the toss are likely to choose to bowl first, with the average first innings score being around 212.
Probable playing XIs
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), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
