[Watch] Team India land in Ahmedabad ahead of blockbuster 2023 World Cup clash vs Pakistan
The Rohit Sharma-led Team India have landed in Hyderabad ahead of the blockbuster clash against Pakistan on October 14 (Saturday) at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The likes of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur were seen boarding the bus from the airport.
The India-Pakistan clash is arguably the biggest of the tournament as over 1,20,000 are likely to be present for the match. Massive celebrities like Rajnikanth and Amitabh Bachan are also expected to watch the fixture live, with a performance from singer Arijit Singh also scheduled.
Team India would inevitably start as firm favorites against their arch-rivals not only because of the home advantage but also due to their dream start to the tournament.
The Men in Blue kickstarted their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Australia in Chennai. They followed it up with an eight-wicket win against Afghanistan on Wednesday in Delhi.
Pakistan looking for their first win over India in 50-over World Cups
The Babar Azam-led Pakistan will be under pressure despite starting the showpiece event with a couple of wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. The Men in Green haven't beaten the neighbors in seven World Cup meetings, starting from the 1992 edition.
They should take confidence from the record-breaking run-chase against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. Centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique helped the side gun down the total of 345.
Nevertheless, the massive 228-run defeat in the Super 4 game against the hosts at the Asia Cup 2023 could still be playing in Pakistan's mind.
The match saw centuries from Kohli and KL Rahul propel the Men in Blue to 356-2. Babar's men had no answers to India's bowling, including the captain. Kuldeep Yadav ran through the opposition with a fifer as Pakistan were bundled out for 128.
Pakistan have also only played in Hyderabad so far and will be featuring for the first time in any format in Ahmedabad. It will be interesting to see how they adapt to the conditions.