India is all set to take on Pakistan in the grandest of stage at the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2023 on Saturday. The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and will begin from 2 pm.
Both teams are in exceptional form and have started their individual campaigns with two wins in their first two matches. They make up the top four in the points table alongside New Zealand and South Africa, however, one of the teams is likely to drop down in the aftermath of today’s encounter.
India and Pakistan are on four points, but India hold the edge over their perennial rivals and sit on third with a better net run rate (NRR) of +1.500, while Pakistan have an NRR of +0.927 and are fourth on the points table.
The two fiercest of rivals of the game have played 134 times in One Day Internationals (ODIs) in which Pakistan surprisingly hold the edge with 73 wins, while India have won 56 times. Five matches between the two produced no results, while there have been no ODI match that has ever ended in a tie.
However, in World Cups, India hold all the bragging rights with seven wins in the seven times they have faced Pakistan. India won by 89 runs (DLS) in 2019, 76 runs in 2015, 29 runs in 2011, 6 wickets in 2003, 47 runs in 1999, 39 runs in 1996 and 43 runs in 1992, in the year Pakistan became world champions.
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera is expected to be a treat for both bowlers and batters. Fast bowlers are likely to find the conditions conducive for seam and swing in the early stages. As the match progresses, batters will start to enjoy the conditions and can play some strokes with freedom.
Usually, the teams that win the toss opt to bowl first here as the average first innings total on the ground is 237 and 206 for the second innings. Notably, India chased down the highest score of 325 here against the West Indies, while the Caribbean team defended 196 runs against India.
Rain played spoilsport in the India-Pakistan match in the recently concluded Asia Cup. The likelihood of rain disrupting today’s affairs is highly unlikely. However, a spell of rainfall could see the organisers concerned about the stadium’s drainage capabilities. The outfield conditions are also expected to become worse in case of rainfall.
Earlier, the director of the Meteorological Centre in Ahmedabad, Manorama Mohanty was quoted by PTI as saying, “While the weather is expected to remain dry during the next five days in Gujarat, light showers may occur at isolated places in Ahmedabad district on October 14. The atmosphere will remain cloudy.”
Google’s win probability puts India with a 68 per cent chance of taking the match, while Pakistan have a 32 per cent chance of winning it. CricTracker says that no matter which teams bats first, India will win the match. MyKhel also favours the Men in Blue as “all the previous statistics and current form” points to an India victory.
India have a strong team in all departments of the game, while Pakistan will bank on their devastating bowling and hope that their top order comes good.
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