Asia Cup 2023 | IND vs PAK Playing 11 Prediction, Cricket Tips, Preview & Live Streaming

Pakistan captain Babar Azam (L) and India captain Rohit Sharma | Source: Twitter

The 3rd match of Asia Cup 2023 will see the arch-rivals India and Pakistan locking horns against each other on Saturday, September 02 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Team Previews

India

Team India got hit hard even before the Asia Cup 2023 kicked off. Their wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul got benched for the Pakistan match due to a persistent niggle issue he has been nursing. 

Now, India's down to Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson, but since Samson is in the travel reserve, chances are high that Ishan Kishan will step in for KL Rahul. 

Kishan is no stranger to opening for Team India, that's his turf. However, the real question is whether he is up for the challenge of taking over KL Rahul's spot in the middle order. 

Besides that, Team India's lineup seems pretty darn strong with captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill set to open the innings, Virat Kohli doing his thing at three, Shreyas Iyer taking the reins at four, and the firepower continues with Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. 

India's bench strength looks solid (AP Photo)

As for their bowling attack, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah are going to be the pace powerhouses, while Kuldeep Yadav, who has been in top form lately is going to spin his magic. 

To sum it up, Team India seems rock-solid on paper with no weak spots. They are all set to dominate against arch-rivals Pakistan and kick off the tournament with a bang.

Pakistan

On the other hand, Pakistan is off to an awesome start in the Asia Cup 2023. They kicked things off with a huge win against Nepal, where Captain Babar Azam went all out with a record-breaking 151 runs, and Iftikhar Ahmed also went big with a century. 

Babar will come into IND vs PAK with a 151 (AP Photo)

Their top order has been a bit of a rollercoaster lately, even during their recent ODI series with Afghanistan and the opening match against Nepal and they have got a bit of homework to do in that area.

Coming to the heavy artillery – their bowling attack is absolutely fierce. With Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah forming the killer fast-bowling trio, they are giving nightmares to the opposition. Team India's got a mountain to climb against them. 

All in all, hold onto your hats as the best of the ODI bunch, featuring cricket's finest, are set to lock horns against each other at Pallekele Stadium and it is poised to be an electric battle that one won't want to miss.

IND vs PAK: Match Details 

IND vs PAK: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch at Pallekele usually offers a little something for both hitters and bowlers, and it's likely to be the same this time. When the lights come on, chasing has been easy here, so winning the toss and bowling first might be the smart move. Teams typically score around 250 runs on average at this venue, and anything above that is gonna be a real test.

IND vs PAK: Probable Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah 

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

IND vs PAK: Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

IND vs PAK: Match Prediction

Both teams are loaded with star players, making it a real challenge to pick a favourite. However, with Team India's strong batting lineup, they might just edge ahead of Pakistan. 

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