World Cup 2023, Match 12 | India Predicted XI vs Pakistan

image-lnov8q1jIndia will play against Pakistan in the 12th match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

The mother of all clashes is back to set the World Cup stage on fire. Call it a derby or call it the new El Clasico, the greatest inter-continental colossal in cricket kicks off on October 14 as India squares off against Pakistan in the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The arch-rivalry contest is slated to begin at 2:00 PM IST. 

Both teams kicked off the mega-event with flying colours and have earned four points from two matches. Pakistan are situated fourth in the points table whereas India are positioned a step ahead due to their better net run-rate.  

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Pakistan initiated their campaign against Netherlands where an team effort saw them thrash the Dutch side by 81 runs. They went on to continue their dominace as Sri Lanka were drubbed hard on the back of scintillating centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan. 

Meanwhile, India had a toough fight against Australia in their tournament opener, toppling the mighty Aussies in a tricky run chase by six wickets. Despite being pushed back for 2-3 in a couple of overs, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul stepped up at the need of hour and laid the path for a smooth chase of 200 runs. In their next assignment, India thrashed Afghanistan comprehensively as Rohit Sharma stormed around the park with a dazzling ton followed by Virat Kohli's smooth chase. 

Having said, let us have a quick look at how the Indian line-up may sound like for this exciting clash.


Openers: Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan

The Indian captain, Rohit Sharma will be leading the Men in Blue in this mega-event and will be the opener of the side alongside Ishan Kishan. The Mumbaikar notched up a marvellous century in the last game against Afghanistan and shattered innumerous records. Kishan on the other hand played an impactful knock but fell shy of a half-century by three runs. Although an ill Shubman Gill has travelled to Ahmedabad, it's likely that he will be rested for the upcoming clash.


Middle-Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul

The middle-order of India will consist of Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The last time when India battled against Pakistan, Kohli and Rahul garnered individual tons to set up a big total on the board that eventually helped them win the game. The same pair also forged a 165-run fourth wicket stand against Australia in their competition opener with Rahul bringing up the finishing runs. The former RCB tag team of Rahul and Kohli are an indispensable asset to the side.

India have lacked a consistent no.4 batter for a long time and the management backs Shreyas Iyer to do the job at second down. He is coming off an injury but piled up a century recently against Australia during the three-match bilateral series.


All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur

There's no doubt that Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the primary three dimensional cricketers of the Indian cricket team. Both of them are familiar with these conditions and are nothing short of a local boy.

Hardik forged a brilliant knock against Pakistan a month back during the group stage game against Pakistan and will look to replicate his heroics. He has also been a great asset for the side with the ball in hand. Jadeja found his bowling form back and reigned supreme against Australia with a three-fer.

And now comes the million dollar question. Shardul Thakur or Ravichandran Ashwin, who does the Indian think tank back for this game? As per the author's understanding, the surfaces at most of the Indian venues are still fresh and are conducive to the batters. This is the start of the cricketing season in India and generally they play well for the seamers if dished at the right areas. Henceforth, Shardul is likely to get the nod ahead of Ashwin in this game.


Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami

The last time when Pakistan were folded up for 128 against India, Kuldeep was the wrecker in chief with a fifer under his name. The left-arm wrist spinner broke through the backbone of the Pakistan batting order as they crumbled under pressure.

Jasprit Bumrah has been a breath of fresh air with the ball. When the batters enjoyed timing the ball and earning runs, Bumrah managed to hit the strapping and find a way to outsmart the opponent. Although Mohammed Siraj has partnered him with the new ball in the last few games, Mohammed Shami could replace him in the playing XI. The Bengal pacer plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League where the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad is their fortress. Shami is used to these conditions while Siraj has also leaked runs in his past couple of games.


India Predicted XI vs Pakistan 

Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav.