Pallekele, Sri Lanka, September 2, 2023
Pakistan and India will face off in the third ODI of the Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka.
Pakistan are the current ODI world number one and come into the match on the back of a thumping 238-run win over Nepal in their opening game. Babar Azam was in sublime form, scoring 151 runs, while Iftikhar Ahmed also hit a century.
India, meanwhile, are without KL Rahul, who is injured. They will be led by Rohit Sharma, who will be looking to get back to form after a lean run in recent months.
Here is a look at the two teams:
Pakistan
Babar Azam (captain)
Fakhar Zaman
Imam-ul-Haq
Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper)
Agha Salman
Iftikhar Ahmed
Shadab Khan
Mohammad Nawaz
Shaheen Afridi
Naseem Shah
Haris Rauf
India
Rohit Sharma (captain)
Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli
Shreyas Iyer
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
Hardik Pandya
Ravindra Jadeja
Shardul Thakur
Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammed Siraj
Jasprit Bumrah
Here is some more information about the match:
- The match is scheduled to start at 15:00 local time (10:00 GMT).
- The pitch at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is known to be a batting-friendly wicket, so both teams will be looking to score big runs.
- The weather forecast for the day is for mostly sunny skies with a slight chance of rain.
- The toss will be important, as the team that wins it will have the option of batting first and setting a target for the other team to chase.
Here are some of the key players to watch out for in the match:
- Babar Azam: The Pakistan captain is in the form of his life, having scored over 600 runs in ODIs this year. He will be the key to Pakistan’s batting and will be looking to score a big hundred in this match.
- Virat Kohli: The Indian captain is another world-class batsman who is always a threat to any bowling attack. He will be looking to get back to form in this match and lead India to victory.
- Rohit Sharma: The Indian opener is another batsman who can score big runs. He will be looking to get off to a good start and put Pakistan under pressure.
- Shaheen Afridi: The Pakistan fast bowler is one of the best in the world in his format. He will be looking to take early wickets and put India on the back foot.
- Jasprit Bumrah: The Indian fast bowler is another world-class bowler who can be a handful on any surface. He will be looking to provide support to Shaheen Afridi and take wickets in the middle overs.
This is a very exciting match-up between two of the best teams in the world. Pakistan are the favorites, but India will be determined to prove their doubters wrong. It should be a close and entertaining contest.
Match Prediction
Pakistan are the favorites to win this match. They have a strong batting line-up and a bowling attack that can be lethal on any surface. India will be without KL Rahul, which is a big blow, and they will need Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to fire if they are to challenge Pakistan.
Betting Tips
Pakistan to win: 1.65
Babar Azam to score a century: 2.75
Rohit Sharma to score a fifty: 1.80
