T20 World Cup 2022 [In pictures]: Indian players look determined and confident ahead of Pakistan clash
Players from Team India's T20 World Cup squad have taken to social media to upload photos from their official shoot. The likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya shared images of themselves donning their jerseys for the tournament
Ahead of their opening encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan, these players looked ready for the challenge. They also captioned their images with quotes of excitement and anticipation. Here's what they posted:
๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ช https://t.co/WFzKOjSJjT
Let's go โณ๐ฎ๐ณ https://t.co/2a7hSuqyi6
Letโs get going ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ช https://t.co/qGDQtNoJca
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin also looked excited for their side's opening encounter. The duo are expected to play a crucial role in the upcoming game against Pakistan. Here's what they posted:
Countdown Begins ๐ฎ๐ณ https://t.co/CfntgVoCVV
Indian batters will need to step up against Pakistan
India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their 2022 T20 World Cup opener on Sunday, October 23, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
With rain predicted on the day of the match, the fast bowlers might have favorable conditions with some moisture in the pitch. This could prove to be an acid test for India's batting, as they have committed themselves to playing an ultra-attacking brand of cricket.
The Men in Blue could only set a target of 152 against Pakistan in last year's T20 World Cup. The total proved to be way below par as the Men in Green won by 10 wickets. However, over the past 12 months, Rohit Sharma and Co. have made a conscious effort to be extra positive in their approach.
Mission #T20WorldCup ๐
All-rounder @hardikpandya7 discusses it all as #TeamIndia gear up for the marquee event๐ ๐ - By @RajalArora
Full interview ๐ฅ ๐ฝ
bit.ly/3MGhMoT https://t.co/rcyNcpL4B4
They will also need their big guns Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli to fire in such a big game, having shown some great form of late.
Shaheen Afridi is likely to be back in the XI for Pakistan. If he plays, he could form a threatening new-ball partnership with Naseem Shah. It will be interesting to see how the Men in Blue's top-order approaches the powerplay.
India squad for the ICC T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami.
Standby players: Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur.