Match: Pakistan vs India, Asia Cup 2023, 8th match (PAK vs IND)
Date: September 10, Sunday, 3.00 PM IST
Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to lock horns for the second time in the Asia Cup 2023. After their group stage match which was abandoned due to rain, the two teams and fans will be hoping that rains stay away the Super 4 encounter between the neighbours at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Pakistan bowled brilliantly in the group stage fixture against India, which was called off after the first innings. The pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah wreaked havoc against the Indian batsmen. Afridi picked up four wickets, while Rauf and Shah took three each. India’s top order including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, were unable to handle Pakistan’s pace.
Co-hosts Pakistan are unbeaten in the tournament so far. Pakistan defeated Nepal by 238 runs in their opening match and followed that with a brilliant bowling performance against India, which made them the first team to enter the Super 4, where they defeated Bangladesh in the first game. India, meanwhile, have only played one full game so far, which was against Nepal.
Pakistan, currently the world’s number 1 ODI team in the ICC rankings, will now be looking for another win to make it to the final of the tournament.
Ahead of the big clash between India and Pakistan, here is everything you need to know to win big on MPL fantasy cricket.
Weather update and pitch report for PAK vs IND, Asia Cup 2023, match 8
The pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium is generally on the slower side. The spinners will get maximum assistance from the surface. The teams chasing on this ground have had a better luck at winning. Overall, a total of 156 ODIs have been played at this venue, from which the average first-innings score reads 232 runs.
The weather could play spoilsport to the game. Rain may abandon yet another India vs Pakistan match. But in that case, match will be played on the following day, i.e. September 11.
India team news and predicted XI
Team news: Jasprit Bumrah, who flew back to India for the birth of his child, has rejoined the India squad ahead of the big game.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Predicted XI: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan team news and predicted XI
Team news: Pakistan do not have any injury concerns and are likely to stick to the same playing combination. They replaced Mohammed Nawaz with Faheem Ashraf in the previous game, a decision that is unlikely to be reversed.
Squad: Babar Azam (c), 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
Predicted XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi/Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
Head-to-head record
In the 50-over format, the two sides have squared off in 133 matches, with Pakistan winning 73 of those matches. India won 53 times. But in the last three ODI meetings between the two teams, India have won all. In the Asia Cup particularly, India and Pakistan have played against each other 13 times in the ODI format, of which India have won seven games while Pakistan have won five times. Two matches match was washed out.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI PAK vs IND, Asia Cup 2023
Virat Kohli – batter, India
Virat Kohli, the 12th highest run-scorer in Asia Cup history will be raring to make amends for his disappointing batting in the group stage game against Pakistan. He has delivered several impressive performances against Pakistan, including the 183 in the Asia Cup, which still remains the highest individual knock in the history of the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah – bowler, India
Jasprit Bumrah, who has rejoined the squad ahead of the next game, will be India’s key bowler in this game. Bumrah is yet to bowl in this Asia Cup 2023, but recently, he showed no signs of rustiness on his return to competitive cricket against Ireland. He ended the T20I series as the top wicket-taker, with four wickets in two games. Bumrah’s record in Sri Lanka is also impressive– 15 wickets in only five ODIs.
Hardik Pandya– all-rounder, India
When India were in deep trouble against Pakistan in the group stage fixture, it was Hardik Pandya who stabilized the ship along with Ishan Kishan. His half century was crucial to take India to a respectable total and he will once again have a lot of work on his hands if India’s top order do not get going. The Indian vice-captain is significantly important to your MPL team because he can win you points with his bowling too. He can provide timely breakthroughs in the middle-overs.
Babar Azam – batter, Pakistan
The World no. 1 ODI batsman, Babar Azam has scored 168 runs in two innings of the Asia Cup 2023. He scored 151 against Nepal and 17 against Bangladesh in the Super 4. Babar Azam’s wicket will be one of the keys for India to win the contest.
Shaheen Afridi – bowler, Pakistan
Shaheen Afridi picked up four wickets against India in the earlier game and also became the first bowler in history to dismiss Kohli and Rohit in the same innings. Afridi will once again be Pakistan;s trump card in this match.
MPL fantasy XI – PAK vs IND, Asia Cup 2023
PAK vs IND – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The Pakistan vs India ODI will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app. The match will begin at 3.30 PM IST on September 10.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
