The stage is set for another chapter in the history of the India vs Pakistan rivalry as the two arch-rivals will clash against each other on September 2 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. The world witnessed a masterclass of Virat Kohli when the two teams met each other last time in the 2022 T20 World Cup. “Kohli goes down the ground, Kohli goes out of the ground” – these were Harsha Bhogle’s words when the Indian batting maestro showcased his brilliance with a lofted check-drive off Harsi Rauf’s delivery. The stunning six haunted the Pakistan team as it changed the game in India’s favour and they won one of the most thrilling contests between the two teams.
However, things are different this time as it’s the 50-over format and Pakistan are one of the most in-form teams ranking number 1 in the ICC listing. On the other hand, the Men in Blue look completely unsettled with few players coming back into the side after recovering from injuries.
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Head coach Rahul Dravid has already confirmed that KL Rahul will miss Saturday’s clash which will once again force them to tweak their batting line-up which is not a good sign.
Ishan Kishan is expected to get a place in the XI to fill the wicketkeeper’s slot but there is a lot of uncertainty over his batting position. The southpaw is not very effective at the number 5 position where Rahul cemented his place and if India use him in the top order then Kohli will be moved to the number 4 spot.
Apart from the batting positions, facing the lethal Pakistan pace trio – Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, is another concern for Team India. In the last couple of outings, skipper Rohit Sharma struggled miserably against the inswingers of Shaheen Afridi.
The Indian captain trained hard in the training camp against the left-arm pacers and it is going to be a battle to look out for. After a short break, Shubman Gill will be fresh and will look to regain his elite form which he had in the first half of this year.
The onus will be once again on Kohli to rescue India in case of another batting collapse. Meanwhile, it will be a litmus test for returning Shreyas Iyer as he needs to prove his fitness and cement a place in the World Cup squad.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja know their role quite well and they have to bring their A-game with both bat and ball on Saturday.
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In the pace department, India have a quality trio in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj but it has been a long time since they played together. Bumrah made a sensational return on Ireland tour but the Pakistan clash will be his first big test ahead of the World Cup.
On the other side, Pakistan are riding high on confidence as they entered the tournament as the number 1 ranked side and started it with a sensational win over Nepal in the opener. Babar Azam has already displayed his class with a masterful 151-run knock in the opening match and he will look to improve his ODI record against India.
Iftikhar Ahmed’s maiden ton against Nepal was also a big relief for the Pakistan team as the lower middle-order has been a big area of concern for them for the past few years. Apart from Shadab Khan, Pakistan have failed to find a permanent option but Iftikhar’s knock eased off some pressure.
The bowling unit showcased their ruthlessness against Nepal where they put up a collective show to bundle out the minnows for 104.
Shaheen, with the new ball, will once again pose a big threat to the Indian top order which has struggled against the left-arm pacer ‘kryptonite’ in recent times. Rauf will look to seek his revenge on Kohli for the 2022 T20 World Cup sixes.
They have also been served well by leg-spinner Shadab, who has taken 11 wickets from 8 matches in 2023, while chipping in with the bat as well.
Meanwhile, the rain is likely going to be a problem in Pallekele. As of now, there’s around a 70 per cent chance of precipitation.
Squads: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve).
Match starts at 3 PM IST.