3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Pakistan match of 2023 World Cup
The highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the 2023 World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is just a few hours away and the build-up has already started in full swing among the cricketing fraternity.
Both the teams are unbeaten in the tournament so far and come on the back of comprehensive wins. While Rohit Sharma's hundred and Jasprit Bumrah's 4/39 helped India sink Afghanistan, centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan were enough for Pakistan to record the highest successful run-chase in World Cup history (345/4).
India absolutely thrashed Pakistan by 228 runs when the two teams last met in the Asia Cup Super Fours stage earlier this year. The Men in Blue also have a 7-0 head-to-head lead over their arch-rivals in World Cups and that's a streak they would want to ensure is not broken.
Pakistan will know that in the high-pressure game against India, history won't matter as everything starts with a clean slate. On that note, let's take a look at the three match-ups that could determine the result of this marquee clash:
#3 Rohit Sharma vs Hasan Ali
A shoulder injury to Naseem Shah has given Hasan Ali a comeback into the Pakistan team and he has been impressive so far. If he gets the ball to move off the seam up front, he could cause the Indian openers some massive headaches.
However, captain Rohit Sharma has had a stellar record against Ali, with his iconic six over point during the 2019 World Cup still a shot fresh in the memory of Indian fans. Rohit has scored 95 runs off just 87 balls from Ali in ODIs, but the pacer has also dismissed him once. Pakistan will know that Rohit has faced issues against the moving ball and would want Ali to trouble him with movement upfront.
#2 Babar Azam vs Jasprit Bumrah
With scores of just 5 & 10 so far, Babar Azam hasn't had the best of starts to the 2023 World Cup. While he will be hopeful of bettering that record, the Pakistan captain is likely to face stiff competition from a skillful Indian new-ball attack featuring Jasprit Bumrah.
In 39 balls that Bumrah has bowled to Babar in ODIs, the latter has scored just 22 runs. While Babar hasn't been dismissed, he looked uncomfortable against the speedster during their Asia Cup face-off. The Pakistan skipper is due for a big score and the Men in Blue would want to send him packing as soon as possible.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Shaheen Afridi
The battle between Rohit Sharma and Shaheen Afridi is arguably the one on everyone's minds. However, the one that might have gone a bit under the radar is between star batter Virat Kohli and the left-arm pacer.
Kohli is in sensational form so far in the 2023 World Cup and has taken a liking to scoring big against Pakistan over the years, as seen in the Asia Cup Super Fours game. The Men in Green couldn't stop him from getting to his 47th hundred and will know that they need to get him early at the crease.
Shaheen has conceded 21 runs off 24 balls to Kohli in ODIs and has dismissed him once, which also happened during the Asia Cup in the group stage last month. If the speedster is able to get movement early on, Pakistan has a chance at knocking Kohli over early. Meanwhile, India will want their big gun to fire on the big occasion, something he has been used to over the years.