PAK vs IND: Pakistan Playing XI vs India, Asia Cup 2023, Super Four Match 3 - Predicted

Pakistan will be playing their second game of Super Four in Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday against India at Colombo.

Pakistan have been the best team in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 so far. They topped their group and were the first team to qualify for the super four of the tournament. Then, they thrashed Bangladesh by five wickets in their first game of super four. But now a big challenge awaits them in their next match.

Pakistan will face India on Sunday at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This will be a big game for both teams. If Pakistan win it, they will almost qualify for the finals of the tournament, but if they lose, then it will become a bit harder. Here we will talk about the predicted playing XI for Pakistan that can challenge India on Sunday.

PAK vs IND: Pakistan’s Predicted XI vs India

1. Fakhar Zaman:

Fakhar Zaman hasn't had the tournament that he was hoping for. He has scored 14 and 20 in his two innings so far. But he is a player of different caliber, and India knows it because he was the one that thrashed India in the finals of 2017 Champions Trophy and made a big century. The left-hander will look to play another big knock.

2. Imam-ul-Haq:

Imam-ul-Haq is another in-form batter who is coming off a match-winning half-century against Bangladesh in the last game. He smashed 78 off 84 in the 194-runs chase to help his team win the game. Imam is very consistent at the top and is a prolific runs scorer because if he gets set, he can play a long innings.

3. Babar Azam (C):

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is currently the best batter in ODIs in the world. He has been scoring runs and centuries consistently. He will be the biggest wicket for the Indians in the game. But Babar has a very low rate of failures, and India knows that he will be scoring big runs. Pakistan's chances will depend a lot on how Babar plays.

4. Mohammad Rizwan:

Mohammad Rizwan has been a brilliant batter at No. 4 for Pakistan. He is a big match player and can perform against any type of bowling attack. He can rotate the strike and hit the boundaries at the same time. Rizwan will be the key in the middle-overs because he is a good player against spinners, and Pakistan knows his importance.

5. Salman Ali Agha:

The batting all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been good since his debut across formats. He is an aggressive batter who loves to take on the bowlers, which makes him a difficult batter to bowl to. Though he hasn't had many chances in this tournament, he is capable of thrashing any bowler. Salman is also pretty handy with the ball and will be seen bowling.

6. Iftikhar Ahmed:

Iftikhar Ahmed showed his intentions pretty clearly in the opening game of the tournament when he struck his maiden ODI ton off just 63 balls. He can be the game-changer in the middle-order, having played well against India in T20 World Cup as well. Adding to that, he can also bowl some useful overs if the conditions are good for bowling.

7. Shadab Khan:

Vice-captain Shadab Khan is a pretty important member of the current Pakistan team. He is a match-winner for his team with both the bat and ball. Shadab can fit into any team with the abilities he brings to the table. , He can change the game at any time. His all-around skills are valuable for Pakistan.

8. Faheem Ashraf:

One thing Pakistan has done brilliantly is to bring pace-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf to this team. He replaced Mohammad Nawaz in the last game against Sri Lanka and bowled good overs. Faheem got the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan to break an important partnership. He can be pretty handy with the bat as well for Pakistan against India with his hitting ability.

9. Shaheen Shah Afridi:

One man who can destroy Indian batting on his own is Shaheen Shah Afridi. The left-arm pacer has been phenomenal for his country across formats and has always troubled Indian top-order, like he did in the previous match against India. If he can produce another brilliant spell on Sunday, India will surely go down, and Pakistan will have the upper-hand.

10. Naseem Shah:

Naseem Shah is as effective as Shaheen in this bowling attack. He has a knack for taking big wickets, and batters find it hard to score against him. The young pacer bowls over 145 km/h consistently, which makes him hard to play. He has taken seven wickets so far in just 19.3 overs bowled in this tournament.

11. Haris Rauf:

If India can get over Shaheen and Naseem, then there is Haris Rauf, who bowls thunderbolts over 150 km/h consistently. And pace can rattle any batter in the world. He is the leading wicket-taker in the competition with nine wickets and will look to add a few more on Sunday.