(Web Desk) — The highly-anticipated Pakistan vs India clash in the T20 World Cup is set to take place on June 9 in New York, but there are speculations about the Greenshirts’ squad.
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian batter and current cricket commentator, predicted Pakistan’s playing XI for the historic T20 World Cup match on Thursday.
The 46-year-old suggested that star player Babar Azam would lead the team, batting one-down after Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub open the innings for Pakistan.
Chopra also highlighted the importance of the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which offers variable bounce, and opted for four pacers in his predicted squad.
Here’s Aakash Chopra’s predicted Pakistan XI for the match against India:
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Saim Ayub
- Babar Azam (c)
- Fakhar Zaman
- Shadab Khan
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Imad Wasim
- Shaheen Afridi
- Haris Rauf
- Mohammad Amir
- Naseem Shah
Pakistan is set to play their first match of the tournament today against the United States in Dallas. Meanwhile, India has already played one match and secured a win against Ireland on Wednesday in New York.
However, the much-anticipated match between Pakistan and India could be affected by a “dangerous” pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. Two matches have been played on the drop-in pitch so far, revealing variable bounce and signs that the surface hasn’t settled.
Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik commented on Cricbuzz: “It’s not the best of pitches. T20 cricket is generally tilted in favor of the batters, but this one favors the bowlers for the wrong reasons. It is spongy, with the odd ball bouncing over the head and others staying low. It doesn’t make for good viewing. The pitch was made in Adelaide, stored in Miami, and re-laid in New York two weeks ago. While drop-in pitches have performed well in Australia, this one hasn’t settled.”
Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle echoed similar concerns, adding: “It could get dangerous. Karthik was polite when he said it’s not the best. There was one ball that went over Ireland’s No. 10 or 11’s head while his weight was forward. This is dangerous at this level.”
The pitch will undoubtedly be a point of discussion leading up to the big match between India and Pakistan.
