 "India vs Pakistan World Cup 2023: Top five bowlers to watch out for")
Pakistani bowlers have always dominated the discussions when it comes to who has the best bowling reserves amongst the arch-rivals India and Pakistan in cricket. Come Saturday, 14 October, the bowling arsenal of both teams will be on display as they face each other in a marquee clash in the ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Here are the top five bowlers to look out for:
Hasan Ali
Hasan Ali has had a brilliant comeback after he was out of international cricket for a long time. Since his infamous catch drop of Matthew Wade in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021, it is only now that he is getting noticed as he has picked six wickets from the first two games in the 2023 World Cup.
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He would look to make it count against India, a team he was on top of during the 2017 Champions Trophy, a tournament that heralded Ali on the cricketing scene.
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He would look to make it count against India, a team he was on top of during the 2017 Champions Trophy, a tournament that heralded Ali on the cricketing scene.
Also Read: World Cup 2023: Glittering ceremony to kick-start IND-PAK game in Ahmedabad
Jasprit Bumrah
If Hasan Ali has been a comeback from obscurity, Jasprit Bumrah has been one from injury. He has been brilliant in the first two games, picking six wickets in two games. He bowled his best-ever spell in World Cups in the last game against Afghanistan, as he finished with figures of 4/39 in his 10 overs.
Having already shown his prowess during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan, Bumrah will be eager to perform in front of his home crowd in Gujarat; after all, he is a local boy of Ahmedabad.
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Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf could never be counted out as he has the knack of picking wickets when people think he cannot. He would come out of the blue with a bouncer or a yorker, or even with a length delivery, and make the ball talk. His five wickets in two games are evidence of his wicket-taking skills and abilities. Rauf has taken 58 wickets in 30 ODIs he has played so far.
Kuldeep Yadav
Though Kuldeep Yadav has not had the wickets to show for so far in the World Cup, the overs he has bowled have been just amazing, leaving no room for errors. It is only a matter of time before Kuldeep will get among the wickets too. Against Pakistan, he has a good record, picking five wickets in the last meeting between the two teams in the Asia Cup 2023.
Also Read: India vs Pakistan World Cup 2023: Top five batters to watch out for
Shaheen Afridi
Like Babar Azam with the bat, Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan’s biggest asset with the ball, has also not been in great touch so far in the World Cup. In the two matches that he has played, Afridi has only two wickets. He was very expensive against the Sri Lankans.
However, with the quality that he possesses and the kind of bowling he has done against India (T20 World Cup 2021 and Asia Cup 2023 first match), he will always remain one of the top bowlers to look out for. The 6-foot and 10-inch Afridi has 257 international wickets in his career, which is only five years old. Thus, expecting big things from him in the big game is no big deal.