IND vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2024. (Source – Getty Images)
India will be taking on Pakistan in the 19th match of the T20 World Cup 2024. The arch-rivalry clash is set to be the highlight of the group stage of the tournament, given their history. It is a box-office contest and everyone would be looking forward to it. Both sides had contrasting starts to their campaign.
India beat Ireland in the first match by 8 wickets with 46 balls to spare. They had a comfortable outing in the first match and did not have a challenge from the Irish side. On the other hand, the 2009 champions suffered a shocking loss against the USA in a thrilling game in the Super Over.
India dominate Pakistan in the tournament. In 7 matches, India have 6 wins and a solitary loss to their name. In the last 20 months, India have beaten Pakistan in every match they have played. Given the fact that India won the first match against Ireland, they are unlikely to have any change in their playing XI.
Here is the strongest predicted playing XI of India for the 19th match of the T20 WC 2024 against Pakistan:
Openers- Rohit Sharma (C) and Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ( Source: ICC )
India has two of the biggest Cricket Superstars as its openers. Rohit Sharma will open the batting with Virat Kohli. It is a dream opening pair for any team. While Rohit is more of an aggressor from his end, Virat likes to take his time to get set in the middle and go after the bowlers later on.
In the last match against Ireland, Rohit fired in a low-scoring chase. Virat managed to score a solitary run, his lowest ever in a T20 World Cup match. Rohit led the side well in the match against Ireland. Kohli has a brilliant record in the tournament against Pakistan and will be the key player in the match.
Middle Order – Rishabh Pant (WK) and Suryakumar Yadav
Rishabh Pant. (Source – Twitter/X)
To follow the experienced duo, India has a fairly experienced duo. Rishabh Pant is likely to bat at number 3 for India. In the practice match against Bangladesh and the first match against Ireland, he batted at number 3 and did well. Even behind the wickets, he was good and took some stunning grabs.
India is likely to continue with Suryakumar Yadav at number 4. The star batter can step up under difficult situations and bail the team out of trouble. He is aggressive in nature and can play impactful knocks in the middle overs. He is equally good against pacers and spinners. More importantly, Yadav has a brilliant record in the format.
All-Rounders – Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja
Hardik Pandya. (Source – BCCI)
India has a plethora of All-Rounders in their lineup. Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya will be the batting All-rounders. Dube is likely to bat at number 5 and be the enforcer in the middle overs after Suryakumar. Hardik did well in the match against Ireland. He has a good record against Pakistan in ODIs and T20Is.
Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja will be the spin-bowling All-rounders. Axar is likely to bat at 7 as he is more aggressive as a batter than Jadeja. The latter is likely to bat at 8 and will be more useful as a bowler. With their accurate blowing, the duo will be handy for India in conditions that are slow in nature.
Bowlers – Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj
Arshdeep Singh. (Source – Getty Images)
India’s pace-bowling attack consists of a good set of bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah will be the key for India as he is brilliant in different phases. He will be the key death bowler for the 2007 champions. The star pacer is likely to bowl an over in the end-Powerplay and the middle overs phases respectively.
Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are likely to share the new ball. The left-arm pacer can swing the ball away from the left-handers and deliver an over in the death overs. Siraj is similar to him, as he can swing the ball away from the right-handers and deliver an over at the death. The All-rounders can step up in the middle overs.
IND’s Predicted XI for the game against Pakistan:
Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
