The World Cup will finally hit top gear when India take on Pakistan in the most eagerly awaited game at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
Both teams have won their first two matches but recent form and team composition suggests India as the favourites to stretch their unbeaten record to 8-0 against Pakistan in ODI World Cups.
India registered a hard earned six wicket victory against Australia in their opening match on a tough wicket in Chennai, before streamrolling Afghanistan by eight wickets.
Pakistan outclassed The Netherlands by 81 runs and then needed their batters to chase down a World Cup record total against Sri Lanka after their lacklustre bowling attack had conceded a massive 344 runs.
In the absence of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi struggling to find his wicket-taking form, Pakistan may find it tough to stop the Indian batters.
Captain Rohit Sharma laid down the marker with a blistering century against Afghanistan, while Ishan Kishan also got among the runs as he opens the innings in place of Shubman Gill, who is yet to make a full recovery from dengue.
Gill travelled to Ahmedabad and batted in the nets on Thursday. He batted for nearly an hour in the nets on Thursday morning. He will have another extended net session with the rest of the Indian team in Ahmedabad on Friday before a call is taken on his inclusion for the match.
Gill will also be looking forward to his World Cup debut at the Modi stadium -- the home ground of his IPL team Gujarat Titans. He has done well in the few international matches he has played at the venue.
He has played three Tests in Ahmedabad, scoring a century (128) against Australia in March and also slammed a brilliant 126 not out from 63 balls in a T20 International against New Zealand in February.
Gill has enjoyed a dream run with the bat in ODIs this year at an average of 72, scoring 1,230 runs in 20 games, with five centuries and as many fifties with a best of 208.
Rohit smashed his way to India's fastest century in World Cups when he blasted a 63-ball hundred against Afghanistan.
The skipper, who was the highest run-getter with 648 runs in nine games in the 2019 World Cup, looks set for another big tournament with the bat.
Captain Babar Azam and his coaching team will surely be working overtime on ways to get out Rohit early or else things could turn to be very difficult for Pakistan.
Virat Kohli enjoys the big stage and it will take something special from Pakistan's bowlers to halt the India No 3's smashing recent run, with three fifties and a century in his four innings in ODIs.
Overall, he has played 15 matches against Pakistan in World Cups, scoring 662 runs in 15 games, with three centuries and two fifties.
In the three World Cup matches he has played against Pakistan, he has made 194 runs in three innings, including a quickfire 77 in Manchester in 2019 and a match-winning century (107) in Adelaide in 2015.
Pakistan won't forget his 82 in the T20 World Cup match in Melbourne last year when he brought back India from the dead to a memorable four-wicket victory in a thrilling finish.
K L Rahul will take a lot of confidence from his brilliant 111 not out against Pakistan in the Asia Cup as he made a grand comeback after a long injury lay-off.
He steered India to victory in the opener against Australia with a splendid 97 not out, showing great temperament under pressure to rescue India after a horror start.
India will also delighted with Shreyas Iyer spending some time out in the middle against Afghanistan after his early dismissal against Australia came in for a lot of criticism.
India took the Pakistan bowlers to the cleaners after they amassed a huge 356/2 in the Asia Cup match in Colombo and if the conditions are suitable, it won't be a surprise if their batters post another huge total if they get a chance to bat first on Saturday.
The Indian bowlers are also looking in fine touch. Jasprit Bumrah seems to be back to his best, with six wickets in the first two games of the World Cup making up for a lack of wickets from his new ball partner Mohammed Siraj.
All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur chipped in with wickets in the middle overs against Afghanistan to take the pressure off spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
India could be expected to field a similar bowling combination against Pakistan, including four pace bowlers and two spinners.
However, India will do will well not to rule out Pakistan, whose unpredictability is their biggest strength. They looked down and out after Sri Lanka posted a mammoth 344/9 but against all odds Pakistan produced a sensational comeback with the bat, to chase down a record score of 345 courtesy of centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan.
The major worry for Pakistan is the form of Captain Babar Azam, who has failed with the bat in the first two games. He hit back to back fifties against New Zealand and Australia in the warm-up matches but hasn't carried the form in the World Cup.
Babar has struggled to make a mark in the high-pressure games against India, scoring just 168 runs from seven matches without a single fifty.
Even if the likes of Shafique and Rizwan are back among the runs, Pakistan will struggle to post a challenging total against India without a meaningful contribution from Babar.
Pakistan also need a major improvement from their bowling attack after their below par showing against Sri Lanka. Their premier pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi looked completely flat against the Sri Lankan batters and has managed just two wickets from the first two games.
Their big spin hope Shadab Khan also hasn't found his rhythm with just two wickets so far. His record against India is not too encouraging either with five wickets from seven games at an economy rate of 6.62.
Haris Rauf has been the lone standout Pakistan bowler so far, with five wickets from two games, and his battle in the middle overs against Kohli and Rahul will be an interesting one.
The recent record tilts the scales in India's favour with seven wins from their last 10 games, with Pakistan managing just two wins, while one was abandoned due to rain.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K L Rahul (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
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