World Cup: Will rain play spoilsport in India-Pakistan clash?
Arch-nemesis India and Pakistan are set to lock horns in the blockbuster Match 12 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium will host this affair on October 14. An enticing contest is on the cards as both teams comprehensively won their respective first two matches. Meanwhile, here we look at the weather report for the duel.
Will rain play a part?
The last two Indo-Pak clashes, which took place in the Asia Cup last month, were hampered by rain. However, the weather would be cricket-friendly for the WC match with only a one percent chance of rain As per Accuweather, the temperature is expected to hover around 34-30 degrees Celsius during the game. The cloud cover during the day is around 14%.
A look at the track conditions
The Ahmedabad pitch is usually balanced and assists both the batters and the bowlers. If black soil is used for the surface, any total below 300 would not be safe. Owing to the dew factor, the toss-winning skipper is likely to bowl first. With the humidity level being around 47%, the dew is expected to set in the evening.
Can Pakistan script history?
Pakistan have lost all their seven previous ODI WC games against India. However, in terms of overall ODI record, the Men in Green are still ahead, having won 73 games and losing 56. The arch-rivals met in the Asia Cup last month as India claimed a massive 228-run win. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli smoked centuries in that duel.
Here are the key performers
Rohit Sharma, who smoked a sensational century in his last outing, now has the most ODI WC tons (7). Kohli returned with half-centuries in the first two games. Jasprit Bumrah has scalped 18 wickets in 10 white-ball matches since returning from his injury. Mohammad Rizwan has clocked 827 ODI runs this year at 75.18. Hasan Ali scalped six wickets in the first two games.
