Take any India vs Pakistan match from recent history and you will find one thing in common: India dominating in the batting and Pakistan exploiting their bowling heroics!
Neighbouring rivalry aside, this is what makes the contest much more interesting. Arguably the best batting line-up taking on arguably the best bowling line-up in the world! Now, add the pressure of “win this no matter what it takes” and things only get tenser!
The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry has become more interesting lately, thanks to Pakistan having strengthened its gameplay! For some time, there was only hype and not-much competition with India dominating, especially in the World Cups.
Close matches
However, the case is different now! In the last three matches between the two sides, Pakistan have won two and India one! What’s more intriguing is that the last two matches went down to the wire, making fans go crazy!
There will be a full house in Melbourne tomorrow, October 23, despite rain gods signalling clouds might burst heavily! Why? Because even if it becomes a six-over-a-side game, fans wouldn’t want to miss it. India-Pakistan game in a World Cup isn’t common!
Rain threat
Firstly, there are chances of a downpour in Melbourne on Sunday! But the good thing is that the rain-sweeping system is top-notch in Melbourne. So, if it doesn’t rain consistently, one could hope for some sort of play, if not a full 20-over-a-side match!
If somehow the rain stays away, unlike last World Cup, the toss won’t be much of a decider! However, there will be some support for pacers, especially with the new ball, given the weather forecast! It means both teams would want to bowl first!
Pakistan bowling attack led by left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi will eye to get Indian openers as early as possible! While on the other side, Rohit Sharma and Co would look to counter him but be careful at the same time. The threat doesn’t lie with Shaheen alone, speedster Haris Rauf is equally dangerous.
A lot will depend on how Pakistan’s new-ball bowling and India’s top-order play! Both teams would eye to emerge on top in the powerplay and tighten their grip in the match! In other words, it will come down to the same thing: India’s batters vs Pakistan’s bowlers! Whoever wins this battle will win the match.
Probable Playing XI:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Kl Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami.
Pakistan: Mohammed Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
