From Kandy
An India-Pakistan contest can serve up a different kind of gravy on the menu: Frenzied atmosphere and expectations that reach a zenith. Not that there was much to see outside the Pallekele Stadium on Friday morning, on the eve of the match. There was a decent queue building outside the ticket counter. A few of them perhaps came at around 5.30 AM to wait for the counter to open. Although big banners of all the captains at the stadium did indicate a major tournament was being held in Pallekele.
As the sun began to slowly fade away behind grey clouds, there was more action. ‘Chacha Cricket’ and Ram Babu ‘MSD’ were in attendance as the Indian and Pakistani players came out for practice. The two teams have shared an intense rivalry across more than seven decades. For a while, it seemed to have tapered off a bit. But Pakistan’s 10-wicket win at the T20 World Cup 2021 and the Virat Kohli-inspired India pulling off a jailbreak the very next year gave some much-needed tonic to the rivalry.
On paper, Pakistan seem to have a well-assembled side. More importantly, they are in a good space at the moment, and playing collectively as a unit in limited-overs cricket. A trait that wasn’t generally associated with some of the Pakistani sides of the past. Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman have impressive ODI records, although Fakhar’s recent form hasn’t been good. It would be interesting to see whether India opt for an attacking option – round the wicket angle with an aim to tuck up Fakhar for room – or look at more of a defensive option – over the wicket.
Although the middle order still seems a tad suspect, Pakistan would believe they have enough depth down the order. The likes of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan can add some heft to the batting unit. Even Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi can land the big shots. Naseem and Afridi also would be their two main pace bowlers.
Both of them also got swing in Pakistan’s opening encounter against Nepal, though that game was played on home turf. Haris Rauf’s raw pace and hit-the-deck skills also could turn out to be a threat.
What about their opponent, India? The Rohit Sharma-led side do have a hole or two to fill, especially in the backdrop of KL Rahul being ruled out of the opening two games due to a niggle. Ishan Kishan, the ‘keeper-bat, could take his position in the middle order, although his preferred position is at the top of the order.
However, if Kishan has to bat at the top, then it would mean Shubman Gill, a prolific opener in ODIs, would have to bat down the order. India also would look to Rohit to rediscover the zone in ODIs. The India skipper did bat for a while in the nets.
Among the bowlers, Kuldeep Yadav has been in excellent form in ODIs in 2023, evidenced by the 22 wickets he has taken at an average of 17.18. Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist-spin has also troubled Babar in the past. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, the pace spearhead, looked in good rhythm during the T20I rubber against Ireland.
Time and venue details
Pallekele Stadium, September 2, 2:30 PM local time
Expected conditions and toss
As per the weather forecast, four rain showers are expected through the course of the game. Sometimes, it is also important to pick the brains of locals. The hotel manager told this writer: “It rains a lot more here (near the hotel) than at the Pallekele stadium.” On a side note, the hotel at which I’m residing is about 50 minutes away from the stadium.
Possible XIs
Pakistan have picked an unchanged XI. Afridi, however, seemed to be struggling a bit with a niggle in their previous encounter. His importance to the side is exemplified by the fact that he ripped through the India top order in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Incidentally, Kohli and Rohit, India’s two mainstays, have been out to left-arm seam three and five times respectively in the last two and a half years.
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer looks all set to play at No. 4 on his return to the Indian side. In the game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the deck seemed to be offering enough variable bounce. So, India might opt for Axar Patel over Shadul Thakur.
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Key Matchup:
It isn’t just Babar versus Kuldeep. But Babar against Mohammed Siraj could also be an intriguing contest, as the Indian seamer’s 3/4 seam ball might trouble the Pakistan captain.
This particular point is based on how Ollie Robinson had troubled Babar with the wobble ball and swing in the Test series in Pakistan. The Pakistan skipper seemed to have committed on the front foot a tad late while facing Robinson.
Rohit on India’s Playing XI