IND vs PAK: India and Pakistan face each other for the 8th time in ODI World Cup history as the two arch-rivals go face-to-face at the Narendra Stadium in Ahmedabad. Hosts India and their Asian rivals are coming on the back of two straight wins in the tournament. India have won the toss and have opted to bowl first at the Ahmedabad Stadium.
The Men in Blue have brought back Shubman Gill into the team as the opening batter makes his World Cup debut after recovering from dengue illness. The 24-year-old missed India's first two World Cup games as he was down with dengue. He comes in place of Ishan Kishan, who opened in Gill's absence in the first two games. However, Gill has recovered in time to feature for the mega clash.
Rohit opted to bowl after winning the toss. "It is a dream for us, and all of us are going to experience it is. It is not going to change much, dew will also be a factor so we want to chase. We want to keep striving for the best, and come out and play every day. We want to start well and play well, and do our best. It's the most important factor, keeping yourself relaxed, keeping the atmosphere relaxed. Gill is back in place of Ishan Feel for Ishan. He has stepped up, but Gill has been a superb player for us," Sharma said.
Shardul Thakur keeps Ravichandran Ashwin away
Notably, Shardul Thakur keeps his place in the team from Ravichandran Ashwin. He was part of the team for the Afghanistan game. Looking at pace being superior to spin in Ahmedabad, the Indian team went with Shardul in place of Ashwin. The wily spinner played the first game against Australia in Chennai but will not be part of the team for the second consecutive game.
Meanwhile, Pakistan did not make any changes to the Playing XI. Imam-ul-Haq kept his place from Fakhar Zaman, while Pakistan went with two spin-bowling all-rounders in the form of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Rizwan.
India Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan Playing XI:
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
