Will India Pick 4 Spinners Vs Pak?

India are firm favorites as they take on Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday.

While India battled to a hard-fought six wicket win over Bangladesh on a sluggish surface, Pakistan's batters faltered on a good pitch in Karachi, suffering a 60 run defeat to New Zealand.

India's batters showed a lot of resilience, adapting well to Bangladesh's spin bowlers in the middle overs. Shubman Gill showed great application to anchor the chase with a composed 101 not out after Rohit Sharma had provided the impetus with a quickfire 41 from 36 balls in the Powerplay.

However, Virat Kohli's form remains a concern. He struggled against spin again, scoring a scratchy 22 from 38 balls, before falling to leg-spinner Rishad Hossain. He has been dismissed by leg spin in five out of six ODIs since the start of 2024, falling twice to England's Rashid Khan in the ODI series earlier this month, while in Sri Lanka last year he had fallen to leg-spinners Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay and left-arm wrist spinner Dunith Wellalage in the three matches.

His overall record in the last six ODIs is underwhelming: 137 runs at an average of 22.83, with just one fifty.

After the below-par showing in the five-Test series in Australia, Kohli's place in the Indian team has come under a lot of scrutiny.

However, a good innings against Pakistan can banish all those doubts just as he did with an epic 82 from 53 balls at MCG in the T20 World Cup match in 2022. He will also take confidence from his impressive ODI against Pakistan -- 678 runs from 16 games at 52.15 at a strike rate of 100.29, including three centuries and two fifties.

India's biggest strength is their deep batting line-up, with Ravindra Jadeja slotted at No. 8, offering valuable depth on the tricky Dubai surface.

On the bowling front, India look a formidable force after Mohammed Shami struck form against Bangladesh with a five-wicket haul. Harshit Rana also justified his inclusion ahead of Arshdeep Singh by taking 3/31. India are likely to retain the same combination of three pacers including Hardik Pandya along with three spinners, although they could look at bringing in mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy for Kuldeep Yadav.

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar wants India to go in with four spinners against Pakistan, including both Chakravarthy and Kuldeep.

'In the India-Bangladesh match while the pacers got the wickets, it was the spinners who kept control for both teams. Therefore, I would imagine that they would maybe look at Hardik Pandya coming in as the new ball bowler and they may go in with an extra spinner in Varun Chakravarthy against Pakistan,' Gavaskar told India Today.

While Kuldeep was unlucky to not have picked the wicket of centurion Towhid Hridoy early in his spell after Hardik dropped a simple catch at mid-off, he bowled a steady spell, conceding 43 runs in 10 overs.

Chakravarthy made an impact with the ball in the England T20I series, bagging a record 14 wickets, but struggled in his ODI debut against the same opponents, taking 1/54 in a high-scoring game.

Pakistan struggled in the Powerplay against New Zealand, managing just 22/2 in the first 10 overs. Babar Azam's slow 64 off 90 balls drew criticism, especially in a chase of 322.

Fakhar Zaman's injury withdrawal is a major setback for Pakistan. Not many will have forgotten his smashing century against in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against India when he powered Pakistan to a thumping 180 victory.

With Captain Mohammad Rizwan and opener Saud Shakeel also struggling against the Kiwis, Pakistan's batting looks a bit shaky going into the must-win India game.

Their pace bowlers also failed to make an impact in the opening match. Shaheen Shah Afridi went wicketless while conceding 68 runs in his 10 overs, while fellow pacers Naseem Shah (2/63) and Haris Rauf (2/83) registered expensive figures.

With India's openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill looking in good form, the Pakistan pace trio will need to come up with an improved performance on Sunday.

Despite Pakistan's recent struggles, India cannot afford to be complacent. Pakistan's unpredictability has always made them dangerous opponents in high-stakes matches.

However, on current form, India hold the edge in this marquee clash.

India vs Pakistan head to head record in ODIs

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K L Rahul (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy/Kuldeep Yadav.

Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against Pakistan on Sunday?

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