After having their last fixture against New Zealand washed out, the Indian team will be raring to take the field when they face arch-rivals Pakistan in the most anticipated clash of the ongoing World Cup at the Old Trafford on Sunday.
Having secured convincing wins over South Africa and Australia in their first two matches, the Men in Blue were not even able to get on the field for their third match against the Black Caps which was called off due to rain. Against Pakistan, India have a perfect record as they have won all their six encounters in the previous editions of the showpiece event.
However, it would not be that easy this Sunday as they would be without the services of their in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan. He has been sidelined for at least two-three matches with a fractured thumb. In his absence, K.L. Rahul will open the innings with seasoned campaigner Rohit Sharma. India’s bowling has also been pretty good with all the four bowlers — Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav — among the wickets.
Pakistan, on the other hand, would be aiming to break the jinx and secure their first World Cup victory against India. The Sarfaraz Ahmad-led side made a horrible start to their World Cup campaign as they suffered a crushing defeat against West Indies in their tournament opener. However, they came back strongly and registered a remarkable win against England. But against Australia, they failed to maintain their consistency and had to face a 41-run defeat in Taunton.
Against the reigning champions, Pakistan bowlers made a strong comeback in the latter half of the innings, but it was the batting effort that let them down. And so, Sarfaraz may be tempted to bring in Haris Sohail into the playing XI in place of Shoaib Malik, who has failed in each of his three outings in the tournament so far. Also, one thing which Pakistan would definitely want to improve is their fielding. Their fielding has not been upto the mark and they have dropped many catches in the four games they have played so far.
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