MATCH PREVIEW FOR PAKISTAN VS INDIA
It is the biggest and the most anticipated clash of the World Cup. This is the blockbuster of all contests. It’s India vs Pakistan at the full-packed MCG. India have arrived in Australia 17 days before the tournament began. They have had enough practice before the crucial encounter. Shami showed an exhibition of death bowling in the practice match against Australia. Half-centuries from Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav were encouraging sides for the men in blue.
Pakistan lost their practice match against Pakistan. But they have such a strong bowling lineup. The fast bowling trio of Shaheen, Naseem, and Rauf can dismantle any batting lineups on their day. The middle order has come into the form along with the ever-consistent Babar and Rizwan. So the contest has all the ingredients to become very exciting.
In the 16th Match of the tournament, India will clash against their arch-rivals Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23rd October, Sunday. The match will start at 1:30 PM IST. The match promises to be an absolute thriller with no team willing to give an inch.
MATCH DETAILS
Match: Pakistan vs India
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Date and Time: October 23, 1:30 PM IST
Telecast & Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
PITCH REPORT
The pitch at MCG is traditionally good for batting. Bowlers get swing initially, but afterward, batsmen enjoy batting here. Spinners aren’t quite effective on this wicket. The long boundaries result in a lot of singles and doubles at this venue.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI
India:
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin/ Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Pakistan:
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
PREDICTED WINNER
It is extremely difficult to predict the winner of this contest. Pakistan have a threatening bowling lineup whereas India have a very strong batting lineup. It is a test of who holds the nerves at crucial moments. This will decide the outcome of the match. India will be confident enough after beating the hosts at their home. They start as a slight favorite.
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