World Cup 2019, India v Pakistan: 3 things to watch out for
The champion of all battles is all set to take place on Sunday at Old Trafford, Manchester and it has already left fans more than excited. Though weather has been unruly in the ongoing World Cup, we still expect to witness a fair play day on 16th of June. With 2 victories in the pocket and 1 abandoned match, India currently stand at 4th position in the points table whereas Pakistan stand at 9th position with a single win, 2 loss and a match abandoned. Although, there have been quite a lot speculations over the playing 11 of Men in Blue for the match against Pakistan, let's take a look at 3 major things that can affect the match.
No 4 Order Batsman- The sudden dropout of in-form Shikhar Dhawan came as a major blow for the Indian team when he got ruled out of the World Cup for 3 weeks due to his thumb injury. It was clear that KL Rahul was playing as the reserved opener so he will take on with Rohit Sharma but as KL moves up the order, there are speculations about the vacant 4th batting position.
Either Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Kartik are expected to take up the place but Shankar may be seen as the favored pick due to his capacities with both bat and ball.
Kohli vs Mohammad Amir- Though Indian skipper, Virat Kohli and Pakistan's speedster Mohammad Amir have mutual respect for each other, their one on one clash will be a thing to watch for. While Kohli has emerged as one of the greatest batsmen of the world, Amir's resurgence in the World Cup makes him a genuine threat.
Kohli and Amir went on head to head for the first time during Asia Cup and Kohli praised him a lot after it. During the intense finale between India and Pakistan in 2017 Champions Trophy, Amir's outstanding spell removed India's top 3 i.e. Sharma, Dhawan and Kohli
Battle between Pak bowlers and India's top order- It will be essential for the top order to give the team a good start so that a better score on the board can be followed. KL will be opening for the first time in the World Cup but with Rohit's in hand experience, a fair start can be expected.
Pakistan on the other side has got some experienced bowlers like Wahab Riyaz, Mohammad Amir, and Hafeez who can prove to be dangerous for the building partnerships. However, WC stats are all in India's favor and they would definitely love to keep up their winning streak.
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