There is no bigger rivalry in the sport of cricket greater than this. Yes, we are talking about the much loved and hyped, India – Pakistan rivalry.
Amidst the excitement and a lot of attention, the game will be the starting point of the campaign of both the teams, as two dynamic leaders will be out eager to leave an impression. The dynamics, however, are tremendously positioned in India’s favour after the side bulldozed Bangladesh and New Zealand in the two warm-up games.
Despite having clouds of uncertainty regarding the future of their Head Coach Anil Kumble, the team is more or less settled and is clearly among the top contenders for the coveted title. The fact that they begin their campaign as the defending champions is another mental aspect which India have ticked already.
From a head to head point of view though, Pakistan is slightly ahead of India by the margin of 2-1. While they defeated India in 2004 and 2009, the men in blue were all over the Pakistanis in the previous edition at this very ground, as Pakistan’s batting witnessed a comical collapse.
Recent form:
India’s have played the least number of ODI games since the previous ICC World Cup and that could be a little source of concern. But if recent form is anything to go by, the Virat Kohli-led outfit is in great shape already. Beginning their year with a three-match ODI series against England at home, India’s batsmen were simply terrific, as they sealed the series 2-1. Comeback man Yuvraj Singh set the arena on fire with a scintillating 150 at Cuttack in the second ODI against his favourite opposition.
The series against England also witnessed the growing of Hardik Pandya into a perfect all-rounder who didn’t just take wickets frequently but also was the finisher the side was looking out for since a long time.
Talking Points:
Post India’s victory over Bangladesh in the warm-up game, skipper Virat Kohli clearly said that Hardik Pandya would feature in the playing XI. It remains interesting to see at which position will Pandya play now. With all Pacers in red hot form, dropping a couple of them will be an incredibly difficult choice. Thereby, we could come across a situation where even the experienced R. Ashwin is benched in favour of one Pacer.
Despite missing out on the warm-up games, Yuvraj Singh is expected to be fit for the all important clash. Yuvraj just marked his return to the format this year and did quite well in the three-match series against England. He hasn’t played in this part of the world since 2007, and it will be an interesting sight watching him bat out here.
India Predicted XI:
- Rohit Sharma 2. Shikhar Dhawan 3. Virat Kohli (c) 4. Yuvraj Singh 5. MS Dhoni (wk) 6. Kedar Jadhav 7. Hardik Pandya 8. Ravindra Jadeja 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar 10. Umesh Yadav 11. Jasprit Bumrah