In the third match of the Asia Cup 2023, India and Pakistan, two longtime rivals, are set to face off today, September 2, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Pakistan, much like their opening match against Nepal, has revealed their playing lineup a day before the game on September 1. They’ve decided to stick with the same team that convincingly beat Nepal by 238 runs in their first match.
As for India, with KL Rahul sidelined for the group games, the question arises of whether Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson will be included in the playing eleven against Pakistan. However, there are reports suggesting that Captain Rohit Sharma prefers not to change the top-order lineup, which includes Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and himself. So, if Ishan Kishan is picked, he might have to bat in the middle-order.
But Kishan’s track record in the middle-order isn’t very promising, with an average of 22.75 in six games at number 4. He has also faced difficulties against spinners early in his innings. In the fast bowling department, it remains uncertain whether Prasidh Krishna will get a spot in India’s playing eleven ahead of Mohammed Siraj or Mohammed Shami.
Here are the expected playing elevens for both teams:
Pakistan Playing 11: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
India Playing 11 (probable): Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.
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IND vs PAK, Weather Forecast
Regarding the weather in Kandy for the India vs. Pakistan match, the chances of rain have significantly reduced to 20 percent. The game is scheduled to start at 3 PM IST.
IND vs PAK HEAD-TO-HEAD in Last 5 ODI Matches
In their last five ODI matches, India has had the upper hand, winning four out of five encounters:
- India won by 89 runs (D/L method) on July 16, 2019.
- India won by 9 wickets (with 63 balls remaining) on September 23, 2018.
- India won by 8 wickets (with 126 balls remaining) on September 19, 2018.
- Pakistan won by 180 runs on June 18, 2017.
- India won by 124 runs (D/L method) on June 4, 2017.
IND vs PAK HEAD-TO-HEAD in Asia Cup
| Total matches played | 13 |
| India won | 7 |
| Pakistan won | 5 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No result | 1 |
India squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve).
