The South Asian rivals will converge in Ahmedabad for the most awaited match of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Who: India vs Pakistan
when: Saturday, October 14th, 2pm (8:30 GMT)
where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India
Tens of millions of sports fans across South Asia and the rest of the cricket world will tune their eyes and ears tomorrow to the much-anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup match between host India and regional rival Pakistan.
This will be Pakistan’s first visit to India since the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup.
Pakistan, the 1992 World Cup winners, have never beaten two-time champions India in a 50-over World Cup match.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam is playing the game with complete disregard for the past.
“I don’t think about the past. I would rather focus on the future,” Babar told reporters with a wry smile.
“All records are meant to be broken. Tomorrow we aim to break this record.”
#INDvPAK | #DattKePakistani | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/e44dnLpE6w
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 13, 2023
Heading into the much-awaited 12th match of the tournament, India and Pakistan both won their first two matches.
India defeated five-time champions Australia by six wickets in Chennai, followed by an eight-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Delhi.
Pakistan played both their opening matches in Hyderabad, defeating the Netherlands by 81 runs and Sri Lanka by six wickets in the first match, thanks to a record-breaking batting rush under Wright.
Pakistan’s Babar said his message to his team-mates is to take it as an opportunity to perform well and etch their names in the memories of those watching back home.
“The India vs Pakistan match is a big game and a tough fight. I told my sons this is a great opportunity, give your best, execute your plan and believe in yourself,” he said. said.
Spectator attendance has been a hot topic at this tournament, and the half-empty stands are clearly an eyesore.
That problem will not arise on Saturday. More than 100,000 spectators are expected to gather at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Babar said Pakistan aims to put on its best show in front of a huge crowd in a “huge stadium”.
face to face
In One-Day Internationals, Pakistan has won 73 matches and India has won 56 matches.
When it comes to the history of the Cricket World Cup, the scales tilt heavily towards India. Pakistan have played against India seven times in the ICC ODI World Cup and have never won.
shape
Both teams enter the match with two wins.
Pakistan survived their first match against the Netherlands and defeated Sri Lanka earlier this week in pursuit of a record total.
India opened the tournament with a low-scoring win against Australia and brushed off Afghanistan to play their second match.
India: WWWWW
Pakistan: WWLLW
team news
Opener Shubman Gill, who missed the matches against Australia and Afghanistan due to dengue fever, returned to the team in Ahmedabad. Gill is likely to miss the match against Pakistan as well, with Ishan Kishan continuing to start alongside Sharma.
India will also consider the idea of bringing back off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s batting changes against Sri Lanka worked wonders, with Abdullah Shafiq scoring a fine hundred on his World Cup debut. While keeping Fakhar Zaman, who has been in poor form, on the bench, at least in the short term, he adds strength to the batting line-up, which relies heavily on captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
India: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav. , Mohamed Shirazi
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafiq, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Saud Shakir, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf