Xtra Time Web Desk: Rohit Sharma led Indian cricket team will kick-start its Asia Cup 2023 campaign against arch rivals Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here in Kandy on Saturday, September 2. Arguably the biggest cricket rivalry in world cricket, it is expected to be a cracker of a match provided the weather stays good. There is prediction of showers on Saturday in and around Kandy.
Both the teams trained almost at the same time on Friday evening. Players from both teams were seen exchanging pleasantries to keep away the pressure. India’s star batter Virat Kohli was seen having a word with Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi while captain Rohit Sharma had a brief chat with his counterpart Babar Azam.
As far as the teams are concerned, Pakistan has already announced that they will go in with an unchanged XI that registered a huge 238-run win against Nepal in the first match at Multan. It will mean the Men in Green will go in with a three-prong pace attack in the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Leg spinner Shadab Khan will lead the spin bowling department along with left arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed. The off-spinner’s spot was in question but a spectacular hundred against Nepal cemented his place in the playing XI. The batting of the No 1 ODI side will once again heavily rely on captain Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
India on the other hand is likely to go in with three pacers in the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. If the practice session was an indication than there is a big chance of Shardul Thakur coming in as an all-rounder. In that case either Shami or Siraj will have to sit out. As far as the spinners are concerned Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will for the spin department.
Captain Rohit Sharma will lead the batting for Men in Blue along with Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. With KL Rahul not available for the first two games, Ishan Kishan will don the wicketkeeping gloves. The left hander is likely to go in at No 5 followed by all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja.
It will be fresh wicket that will be used for the game and it might nip a bit early on if it rains leading into the contest. The previous encounter at the venue between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on Thursday turned out to be a low-scoring affair and even though the wicket will be different for the clash on Saturday, there will be an even contest between the bat and ball.
Here is a look at the predicted playing XI for tonight’s IND v PAK match.
India predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.