IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023 Live Score: The much-awaited India vs. Pakistan is all set to be played on 2nd September. Fans of both countries are eagerly awaiting to witness the greatest rivalry of World Cricket unfold on the grounds of Pallekele stadium. While Pakistan began their Asia Cup campaign on a winning note by crushing Nepal in Multan. The fixture will be India’s opening clash of the tournament & they will aim to set the right momentum by winning the fixture.
IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023: Teams Preview
Pakistan Preview
Pakistan the hosts of the tournament is geared up for the much-awaited fixture against arch-rivals. In their previous clash against Nepal, Pakistan got off to a stunning start by posting a huge 324-6 runs total on board. Thanks to a stunning century by Captain Babar Azam (151 off 131 balls) & Iftikhar Ahmed (109* off 71 balls) scoring a decent total was possible for Pakistan. Later their bowlers capitalized on their batting performance by outclassing Nepal for 104 runs to register a gleaming 238-run win.
Opener Fakhar Zaman who boasts of a decent record against India by scoring 523 runs in the last 10 matches at an average of 58.11 and a strike rate of 92.56 will aim to keep his record intact against fierce Indian bowlers. The players like Iftikhar Ahmed & Mohammad Rizwan add more depth to their batting lineup.
Coming to their bowling order, they possess the world’s best pacer attack. The trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf have been lethal on all kinds of pitches and will pose a serious threat to India’s batters. They will try their best to take early wickets before the completion of power playovers.
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
India Preview
India is all set to take on their arch-rivals in the opening clash & they will leave no stone unturned to win this fixture. There are major positives for India as their key players Jaspirt Bumrah & Shreyas Iyer who were out of action due to injuries have recovered & made a comeback to the squad. Unfortunately, KL Rahul is still recovering from a niggle and will miss the team’s first two matches. Ishan Kishan is likely to take his place among the eleven.
In the batting order, Rohit Sharma & Ishan Kishan will try to provide India with a stable start. While the middle order will be taken care of by Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill & Shreyas Iyer. The middle-order specialists will have the huge onus of continuing the flow of runs. Shubman Gill’s form is not hidden from the World around. He will try to continue his excellent form against arch-rivals. Virat who boasts 427 runs in 10 ODIs at an average of 53.37, with two hundreds and one fifty in the current calendar year will be their biggest bet against Pakistan. Their batting order includes depth with the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Verma & Axar Patel in the lower middle order. Overall their batting order looks settled.
In the bowling order, Kuldeep Yadav who has scalped 23 wickets this year from 11 ODIs at an economy of just 4.87 will aim to scalp early wickets. While returning pacer Bumrah will lead their pace attack. You can also count on Mohammed Siraj. He has been the most consistent fast bowler for India over the last couple of seasons and has 14 wickets in his last 6 matches at an economy of 4.58. Overall, India’s pace attack looks lethal & competent to face Pakistan’s power-hitters
India Predicted Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023: Pitch & Weather Conditions
Weather Conditions
The pitch at the Pallekele stadium is slow in nature & batters will find it difficult to score runs in the beginning. However, the pitch will provide assistance to spinners. The weather on the other hand could be overcast making batting a difficult task on this pitch.
Toss: To Bowl
Rain is expected in Pallekele on Saturday. The team winning the toss is likely to bat second because if the match is shortened due to rain, the chasing side will have a better shot at the DLS target.
IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023: Winning prediction
Pakistan is currently the number-one team in the ICC ODI rankings. Their form is blistering as they are marching into this clash on the back of a series win over Afghanistan. Pakistan will aim to continue its winning spree against India. While Indian team has named a full-fledged squad for the marquee event with the aim of winning the Asia Cup 2023 & preparing for the World Cup 2023. However, key players making a comeback from injury can prove a setback for the team. They might struggle in front of Pakistan’s world-class bowling attack. Looking at the current scenario & performances we think Pakistan are favorites to win this fixture.
Also read, Shaheen Afridi & Shubman Gill sledging ahead of IND vs PAK
