World Cup 2023: India are all set to face their arch-rivals Pakistan in the 12th match of ICC World Cup 2023. The greatest rivalry of cricket is set to see the eighth chapter in the 50-over tournament as the stakes go high in Ahmedabad. The clash will be hosted by an expected full crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium, filled with colours of blue.
The Indian team reached Ahmedabad on Thursday and trained ahead of the big clash. Meanwhile, there were doubts over the availability of Shubman Gill, who was down with dengue fever at the start of India's campaign at the tournament. Captain Rohit Sharma settled the debate by some margin as he claimed that Gill is 99% available to play against Pakistan.
"We'll assess the pitch and conditions and then take a call on our playing combination and Shubman Gill is 99% available for selection tomorrow," Sharma said on the eve of the game.
Gill likely to push Kishan out?
Meanwhile, if Gill comes in, it can mean Ishan Kishan getting dropped as the right-handed batter will assume his opening position. KL Rahul's red hot form and Shreyas Iyer's hundred in the Australia series, might result in Kishan getting dropped. Notably, his sedate knock against Pakistan in Asia Cup can create a headache for the team management.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin is not likely to find his place in the team. The Ahmedabad ground is not known to assist the spinners and pacers have taken more wickets. This might discourage Ashwin's case to be taken up. Shardul Thakur is likely to keep his place after replacing him in the Afghanistan clash in Delhi.
India's Probable Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
