India look to fix middle order with injury clouds hanging over
- Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul return to the Indian side after injury layoffs.
- India have won the previous three encounters against Pakistan.
India and Pakistan are set to resume their rivalry in this Asia Cup fixture at Pallekele on September 2. India haven’t played with a full-strength side for a while due to injury and workload issues. A couple of spots in the middle order are up for grabs and India would be hoping to fix the issue. India head into this big clash as favourites at 1.89
Find the best Asia Cup 2023 odds on 10CRIC! Bet now!
Pakistan recently faced Afghanistan and they were made to sweat to clinch the series. They pretty much have a settled side but have a couple of areas of concern. Pakistan have odds of 1.96 to win this match.
Head-to-head record, India vs Pakistan
The head-to-head record in this fierce rivalry is tilted towards Pakistan. The two teams have faced each other in 132 ODIs over the decades with Pakistan claiming 73 games and India winning 55. As for the previous 10 encounters, India lead the scoreline by seven wins to three.
Toss prediction
The stadium in Pallekele has hosted 34 One-Day internationals, with the team batting second winning 20 of those. Therefore, we expect the team winning the toss to bowl first.
Win probability
India have a better side on paper in both batting and bowling departments. Taking into account both teams’ strengths and weaknesses, India head into this game as favourites with a win probability of 64%
Average score
The average first innings score in ODI cricket at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium stands at 250. However, the team batting first has crossed 290 in two of the last three games.
Pitch and conditions
The pitches at Pallekele are usually flat and dry. Ball comes onto the bat nicely when it’s new and hard but batters can find it harder as the innings progresses.
Players to keep an eye on…
India Predicted playing XI:
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan Predicted playing XI:
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
Shubman Gill: The Indian opener has had a remarkable year in the fifty-over format. He has scored 659 runs his last 10 innings at a strike rate of 107 while averaging 73.
Babar Azam: The Pakistan star hasn’t been at his best in recent times but has a stellar record in the ODI format. He has over 5000 runs to his name at an average of 58 with 18 centuries.
Asia Cup 2023 predictions
Both teams have a strong pace bowling attack but India hold an edge in the spin department. Pakistan’s batting unit has shown vulnerability against spin while the men in blue are a formidable line-up. We predict that India will win the match.
Our pick: Back India at 1.89 to win this one!
Pakistan v India Betting tips
Apart from betting on India to win the match, check our other recommended bet about India’s best bowler.
Mohammed Siraj has been sensational in fifty-over cricket. This year, he has taken 19 wickets from just eight ODIs at a strike rate of just 17.1. Back Siraj at 3.75 to be India’s top bowler in the match!
