Sparks are expected to fly when India lock horns with Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. India and Pakistan have produced some riveting battles over the years and the attraction of each of these matches have been some key player battles that have kept the fans at the edge of their seats. The Indian cricket team came out all trumps when they met Pakistan the last time in the Asia Cup. India dominated in all departments and defeated the Men in Green by 228 runs. It remains to be seen how the Indian vs Pakistan match is going to turn out this time. Before that, we shall turn our attention towards some key player battles that could decide the fate of the match.
Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam’s battle with Kuldeep Yadav has been very exciting to watch over the years. Kuldeep has bowled 34 deliveries to Azam in ODIs till now and has dismissed him twice already. Babar Azam has managed to score only 18 runs against Kuldeep Yadav at a meagre strike rate of 52.9. That sums up how much Azam struggles against the Indian wrist-spinner. Moreover, Babar Azam hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts in the World Cup 2023 campaign, registering scores of 5 and 10 in the two matches so far. His confidence must be on the lower side and that presents Kuldeep Yadav an opportunity to improve his record against Babar further.
Shaheen Afridi has had a very quiet start to this World Cup campaign, claiming only a couple of wickets in the two games that the Pakistan cricket team has played so far. But this clash against India presents him with an opportunity to make things better. His battle with Virat Kohli will be one to watch out for. The left-arm pacer has bowled 24 deliveries to Virat Kohli in ODIs and has dismissed him once while conceding 21 runs. It can’t be said that Kohli has really struggled against Shaheen Afridi as he has scored runs at a good rate against him. But it’s always a treat to watch when a quality bowler bowls to an equally good batter. This battle is going to be highly competitive and that’s going to make it very special.
Imam-ul-Haq isn’t enjoying the best of times in this World Cup campaign. In the two matches so far, he has scores of 15 and 12 to his name. He will need to cross another big hurdle if he wants to play a significant role in this match, and that hurdle is Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pacer has bowled 21 deliveries to Imam-ul-Haq in ODIs and has already dismissed him once while conceding only 12 runs. This sums up that he not only keeps Imam quiet but also keeps creating chances to dismiss him regularly. If Imam doesn’t find ways to counter Jasprit Bumrah’s threat in this game, he might get dismissed early once again.
Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
The India cricket team captain’s battle with Shaheen Afridi is also going to be quite exciting to watch. Rohit Sharma is high on confidence after scoring a match-winning century against Afghanistan, but he has always had issues against left-arm pace and that’s where Shaheen Afridi can cause troubles. Rohit Sharma has faced 42 deliveries from Shaheen Afridi in ODIs and has scored 33 runs against him while getting dismissed once. He has always maintained a cautious approach while playing Shaheen Afridi, showing respect for his quality as a new-ball bowler. Rohit Sharma needs to be careful once again as even one moment of carelessness can lead to his dismissal by Shaheen Afridi, who is an exceptional exponent of the new ball.
Mohammad Rizwan vs Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammad Rizwan has never faced Kuldeep Yadav in ODIs but he has an inherent weakness towards wrist-spin. He averages only 29 against wrist-spinners in ODIs while scoring runs at a strike rate of 80.27. The wicketkeeper-batter has great numbers against all other kinds of bowling but wrist-spin is something he isn’t quite adept at taking on. Kuldeep Yadav has been in great bowling form since last year and he has bowled very well in the two matches of this World Cup so far. He has been troubling right-handed batters continuously and it won’t be a surprise if he does the same to Mohammad Rizwan once again.
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