IND vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2024. (Source – Twitter/X)

Team India (IND) will square off against newbies United States of America (USA) in a crucial Group A encounter in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, on Wednesday, June 12, at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, in New York.

Notably, India started their campaign in the marquee event with a comprehensive win against Ireland. They chased down a 97-run target with eight wickets and 46 balls to spare. The Men in Blue went on to face arch-rivals Pakistan in their next game and registered a six-run win after successfully defending a 120-run target. This turned out to be the lowest T20I score defended by India.

Meanwhile, in their maiden T20 World Cup appearance, United States started with an emphatic win against Canada, as they chased down a 195-run target with seven wickets and 14 balls in the bank. The USA followed it up with a Super Over win against Pakistan. The USA will look to register another upset but it won’t be easy to topple a confident and star-studded side like India.

Here is India’s strongest predicted playing XI vs USA for T20 WC 2024 clash:

Openers- Rohit Sharma (C) and Virat Kohli

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ( Source: X / Twitter )

After having a dismal IPL season, Rohit Sharma got his T20 World Cup 2024 campaign off to a great start as he scored a 37-ball 52 against Ireland before retiring hurt. However, he missed out under overcast conditions against Pakistan after hitting a couple of delectable boundaries. The Indian skipper would love to get back among the runs on Wednesday.

Check Here: T20 World Cup 2024 Most Runs

Virat Kohli came into the tournament after winning the Orange Cap IPL 2024. He joined the team late after taking a short break following the cash-rich league and missed India’s warm-up game against Bangladesh. The talismanic batter has registered scores of 1 and 4 in the first two matches. Indian fans would hope to see him fire against the USA.

Middle Order – Rishabh Pant (WK) and Suryakumar Yadav

Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Disney+Hotstar)

Rishabh Pant has been the epitome of consistency since his return from a near-fatal car accident. After churning out the runs in the IPL, the wicketkeeper-batter has showcased his talent in the World Cup, having scored 36* (26) and 42 (31) in the first two games respectively.

Suryakumar Yadav has had a couple of low scores to start the tournament. He has scores of 2 and 7 against Ireland and Pakistan respectively. The flamboyant batter is a prolific performer, especially in the T20 format. If he can apply himself better at the start of the innings and get his eye in, Indian fans in New York will be in for a treat.

Allrounders – Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja 

Hardik Pandya. (Source – Twitter/X)

Shivam Dube has received some criticism after scoring just three off nine balls against Pakistan and also dropping a relatively simple catch of Mohammad Rizwan. The southpaw had a fantastic IPL season, where his ability to easily hit spinners for sixes grabbed everyone’s attention. A good knock on Wednesday would do him a world of good.

Hardik Pandya played a fine knock in the warm-up match against Bangladesh but didn’t get to bat versus Ireland. He came out to bat at No. 7 against Pakistan and saw wickets falling from the other end. He had to bat with the tail and perished under pressure. However, he delivered with the ball, finishing with figures of 2/24 to back up his 3/27 against Ireland.

Axar Patel has been used by Rahul Dravid as a floater. He was sent up to No. 4 in the batting order against Pakistan after India lost two quick wickets. Axar scored an 18-ball 20 in testing conditions and it proved to be crucial in the end. With the ball, the left-arm spinner has bowled only three overs and bagged a couple of wickets.

Ravindra Jadeja didn’t get to bat against Ireland and departed for a golden duck versus Pakistan. With the ball, he has bowled three overs and is yet to pick up a wicket. Jadeja will look to bamboozle the USA batters with his guile on Wednesday.

Bowlers – Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj

Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: ICC)

Pacer Arshdeep Singh has picked up two wickets in each of the two matches. However, he has been the most expensive bowler, having conceded runs at an economy rate of 8.25. While this economy rate is quite decent in the T20 format, it has to be taken into account that the pitches in New York have been hard for run-scoring. However, the left-arm seamer bowled a morale-boosting last over against Pakistan and helped India get an important win.

Check Here: T20 World Cup 2024 Most Wickets

The fiery pacer Jasprit Bumrah has brought his A-game to the tournament. He has scalped five wickets from two matches and won the Player of the Match award in both of them. Bumrah’s economy rate is a stunning 2.86. He has made life difficult for the batters with his consistency and variations.

Mohammed Siraj has picked up only one wicket in the two matches. However, he has been very economical, conceding just 32 runs in seven overs. Siraj will be looking to give India some early wickets with the new ball.

India’s Predicted Playing XI: 

Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.