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Live score and updates: Virat Kohli did not want to be drawn into the hype surrounding the match, he wanted the match to be played just like any other match. Well, Kohli is boisterous and even wants his side to take this game as a routine affair between bat and ball. But then that’s just Virat Kohli, captain of a side which seems to have all the bases covered. For Pakistan though, the mood was reflected when Mickey Arthur revealed he challenged his side to rise, seize the day and be heroes. Two contrasting camps, with a volatile history, united in their worry about the inclement weather which could well make everything else seem not so significant. This is India vs Pakistan and after all the facade, it goes well beyond any normal game.
Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan (Playing XI): Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir
Kohli speaks
We would have bowled first to be honest. Wicket looks really nice though and we have two wrist spinners in our team. We will be in good stead if we bat well.(On 800,000 applications for tickets and over a billion viewership for this match) That’s the kind of attention this game brings but that’s all is outside the ropes. Once you enter the field it is all about playing the game which you have played from the childhood. The team that holds their nerve in the big match usually wins. We have been playing good cricket and we don’t want to tinker much with the team combination. We have one forced change, Shikhar misses out and Vijay Shankar comes in his place. He is a solid batsman
Toss
Sarfaraz has won the toss and he will bowl first. Kohli said he would have done the same.
Sarfaraz Ahmed: We will bowl first. It has been raining so conditions are good for bowling. We have quality spinners and we have backed them today. We are not thinking about 6-0.
ort
“Dry underneath, but on top there’s a hint of moisture. Get through the new ball and both teams can capitalise,” says Michael Clarke. Both sides will look to bowl, with an eye on the weather possibly.
Pitch, surface, yes see it
Pakistan PM Imran Khan has something to say
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday offered his best wishes and advices to Pakistan cricket team for the highly-anticipated India clash, which is set to take place on Sunday. In a series of tweets, the 1992 World Cup-winning captain described Sarfraz Ahmed as a “bold captain” and asked him to be his “daring best” against the arch-rivals.
India’s predicted XI
The stage is set for the highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan at the ongoing World Cup tournament. The two teams will face off against each other on Sunday in Manchester.
A great rivalry
Dhoni doing Dhoni things
The bond between M S Dhoni and Karachi-born Mohammad Bashir aka ‘Chacha Chicago’ blossomed during the 2011 World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan and it has only grown stronger since then.
Such is the bond that Bashir has flown in to Manchester from Chicago (approximately 6000 kms) for Sunday’s high-octane Indo-Pak contest without a match ticket. He knows that Dhoni will ensure that he is it at the Old Trafford when the first ball is bowled.
Scenes back in India
Timely start expected?
A patch of blue in the sky. Forecast has improved according to BBC weather. Light showers expected post 3 pm. We could well get a timely start. So now, sit tight, cross your fingers and relax.
Kohli offers perspective
“The game starts at a certain time and finishes at a certain time. So this is not going to last a lifetime, if you do well or even if you don’t,” Kohli was at his pragmatic best during the pre-match interaction.
India have all bases covered
However, on current form, Bumrah, Kumar and Pandya (maybe Shami too if conditions on the day merit it) are a potent force, one that could conceivably do match threatening damage bowling first. These 10.30 starts, especially if it is overcast, can encourage captains to go for the early advantage, and one can imagine either side relishing at least some movement off the seam.
Has India-Pakistan been reduced to a no-contest?
It was a humdrum match in Sydney, but the ball had been set rolling. Since then the Indo-Pak contest, fuelled by expanding cable TV penetration and the peculiar blow-hot-blow-cold political relations between the two nations, has become the blue riband match of the tournament.
Sunil Gavaskar slams ECB
“Well, ECB (is responsible). ECB is the one that runs the game here. The Lancashire County Cricket Club comes under its jurisdiction. So it’s the ECB’s responsibility.”
Sachin’s advice for Kohli, Shastri
India’s cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said that the men in blue should not be “overconfident” going into the crucial clash against Pakistan on Sunday in Manchester. India have a 6-0 record at the World cup against their neighbouring rivals, but suffered a massive 180-run defeat by the opposition in Champions trophy final in 2017.
India-Pakistan all time XI
Three members from the current Indian World Cup squad, made it to the Vaughan’s all-time India-Pakistan XI. However, there was no one from Pakistan’s current team in the World Cup.
Game and not a war
With passions running high among both fanbases and political relations between the countries extremely tense, Wasim said the match should be enjoyed rather than used to inflame the situation.
Hype and all that
The South Asian neighbours, who share a history of brotherhood and bloodshed, will meet Sunday in a long-awaited group stage clash in Manchester.
Tapping into the frenzy, the “world’s largest bat” was unveiled in the southern city Chennai, and a popular Indian rapper who goes by the name Divine was set to perform to his viral ‘SockThem’ World Cup-themed song in Manchester Saturday.
Virat Kohli on the Amir impact
“I am not going to say anything for TRPs,” Kohli said in the pre-match presser in Manchester.
What does the weather say?
There is so much at stake, and even if the teams take it as a contest, it is not quite a game played with bat and ball. And then there is the weather, the dour, fickle English weather and more eyes will be looking upwards at the skies on the day.
The rain stopped in the late afternoon in Manchester, but made sporadic appearances right through the day. The outfield, which for some reason was not covered, are soggy and there are patches of puddles on the field which can be a huge concern. The drainage system at Old Trafford will be put to the sword if the rain abates.
India take on Pakistan, both teams take on the weather
Virat Kohli did not want to be drawn into the hype surrounding the match, he wanted the match to be played just like any other match. Well, Kohli is boisterous and even wants his side to take this game as a routine affair between bat and ball. But then that’s just Virat Kohli, captain of a side which seems to have all the bases covered. For Pakistan though, the mood was reflected when Mickey Arthur revealed he challenged his side to rise, seize the day and be heroes. Two contrasting camps, with a volatile history, united in their worry about the inclement weather which could well make everything else seem not so significant. This is India vs Pakistan and after all the facade, it goes well beyond any normal game.