The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is all set to host the high-octane clash of the arch-rivals, India and Pakistan on Saturday, October 14 in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. It is one of the greatest rivalries in world cricket, with the fans eagerly waiting for the match. Both teams will be high on confidence heading into the match.
India ranks third at the moment with four points from two games and an NRR of 1.500. They defeated Australia and Afghanistan comfortably in their first two matches. On the other hand, Pakistan defeated the Netherlands and Sri Lanka and is fourth on the table. They also have four points and an NRR of 0.927. Head-to-head, India dominates the rivalry in the ODI Cricket World Cups. They have won all the seven matches played against Pakistan so far. It will be interesting to see if the record continues or if Pakistan pulls off a historic win.
In this article, we look at the key player battles for the India vs Pakistan match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for IND vs PAK
Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma is in terrific form this year in one-day cricket. He slammed a century against Afghanistan in the recent game, powering India to a huge win. The right-hander seemed to be toying with the bowling attack, as he hit them all around the ground.
His match-up with Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi will be the one to watch out for. The duo has only played thrice in ODI cricket against each other. In those two matches, Shaheen has dismissed Rohit once, while Rohit has scored 33 runs off 42 deliveries.
Kuldeep Yadav vs Babar Azam
Kuldeep Yadav is Team India’s trump car at the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. He is their leading wicket-taker and the second overall this year in the format. He has taken 36 wickets in 19 matches, at an average of 16.97.
Kuldeep will be up against Babar Azam, who hasn’t had much success against the spinner. In three matches, he has been dismissed twice by Kuldeep and has only scored 18 runs off 34 deliveries.
Virat Kohli vs Hasan Ali
Virat Kohli has been in stunning form in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. He played a match-winning knock against Australia in the opening match of the game. He smashed 85 runs off 116 deliveries with six boundaries.
The veteran batter continued the form with another fifty against Afghanistan in the following match. He will be keen to carry on the momentum. Kohli has a good record against Hasan Ali, scoring 44 against the pacer at a strike rate of 151.7.
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