T20 World Cup IND vs PAK preview: Favourite rivals collide at iconic MCG

India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2022: In recent times, Pakistan haven't been the pushover that it used to be. After New Zealand's emphatic win over hosts Australia, nothing can be taken lightly

If there was ever so slightly a doubt, that Pakistan might not be the kind of a team India should be afraid of, it was all taken out of the park as New Zealand pulled out an ace performance and shocked hosts Australia. Anyways, India could not take Pakistan lightly in their upcoming clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23rd. The reason is pretty simple. In their last three clashes, India have won only one while Pakistan have beaten them twice quite convincingly. 

The Indian team is also without Jasprit Bumrah, their main bowler while Pakistan, who missed Shaheen Afridi in the recently concluded Asia Cup, will have him back. Shaheen has bamboozled the Indian top order with his in-swinging yorkers to the right-handers. He will play a major role in the upcoming game as well. 

India vs Pakistan: How will the teams shape up?

The Indian team will be going with Mohammed Shami in the starting lineup, especially after how he won the warm-up match against Australia in the last over. Apart from his inclusion, which will be in place of Harshal Patel in all probability, the rest of the team line-up will remain the same as the one that played in the Asia Cup. 

Pakistan have made several changes from the side that played the Asia Cup. Fakhar Zaman is out while Haider Ali and Shan Masood have come in. The fact that Mohammed Nawaz and Shadab Khan can bat properly makes the balance all the more solid with three fast bowlers. 

India Predicted Playing 11

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh

Pakistan Predicted Playing 11

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Ind vs Pak: Melbourne pitch and weather report 

For over a week, the weather in Melbourne has been the talk of the town as far as this big game is concerned. The game starts at 07:00 pm local time and rain is still in the forecast for late afternoon and early evening. Whether it will be just a passing shower or a major disruption is yet to be seen. 

As far as the pitch is concerned, it is going to be a sporty one, although the dampness due to so much rain will be a factor and so will the cloud cover. The ball will swing early on.