The highly anticipated 2023 Asia Cup encounter between India and Pakistan is just around the corner, set to unfold at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Cricket enthusiasts worldwide eagerly await this thrilling showdown, with all attention focused on the star players, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam.
The conflict between India and Pakistan transcends simple cricket; it stirs strong emotions in millions of fans worldwide. These two nations stand as cricket powers not just in Asia, but on the global scene. Both India and Pakistan enjoy a rich history of successes in the Asia Cup, ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy. With these great honours and the profound sentiments accompanying this rivalry, an India vs. Pakistan clash is always an exciting event.
India is facing another selection challenge with KL Rahul’s absence from the first two Asia Cup 2023 matches due to a “minor niggle.” He won’t be available for the games against Pakistan on September 2 and Kandy on September 4 in the Asia Cup 2023.
According to a report in The Indian Express, India is set to utilize Ishan Kishan in the middle-order for the first two matches due to KL Rahul’s absence. Even though Kishan has excelled as an opener in ODIs, averaging an impressive 70 with a remarkable double century against Bangladesh and three fifties from the recent West Indies series, he will now be pushed into a different role. It’s possible that he might slot in at number 4, causing Shreyas Iyer to move down to number 5.
It’s worth noting that Kishan’s performance in the middle-order hasn’t been as strong, where he averages only 30 in the 10 innings he’s batted at numbers 3 and 4 in ODIs. Nevertheless, despite these contrasting statistics, Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have reportedly decided to place their trust in Ishan Kishan for the middle-order position in Rahul’s absence.
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli are obvious selections in the lineup for the top-order, as are Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja in the middle-order and all-rounder positions. Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah are guaranteed selections with the kind of form they are in.
Now, for the remaining one position, there are 2 guys in contention. Among fast bowlers, it’s expected that either Mohammed Shami or Shardul Thakur will be chosen, but it’s uncertain that both will play in Pallekele, given the weather forecast and swing bowling conditions. In light of this, India might choose for Shardul as the third bowling all-rounder instead of Shami.
Team India Playing XI Against Pakistan:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur/Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
