Bumrah, the most lethal pacer in the tournament

India’s Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Ibrahim Zadran of Afghanistan in New Delhi on Wednesday. Pic/PTI

We are in for a cracking contest on Saturday, when the two teams ranked No. 1 and 2 heading into the World Cup, go up against each other in Ahmedabad. India, who came into the tournament as the No. 1 side, are playing very well, while former winners Pakistan are very comfortably placed too. Having won their two previous matches, they both will carry a great deal of confidence, but will be aware that there is a lot on the line for both countries.

Strong Indian squad
It goes without saying that this key game will be a tremendous challenge for the protagonists. There is not a great deal of difference between the sides. India have all their bases covered and possess the strongest all-round team for the conditions and the competition. With all the skills at his disposal, Jasprit Bumrah is the premier fast bowler right now. He has pace, sharp in-swing plus the out-swinger, and is the most lethal paceman in the competition. He has been an amazing performer and because of his unusual technique, batsmen have to be very wary of him.

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Against Australia, India were put under pressure when they lost three wickets for two runs, an unusual situation for them. I don't think we will see that again! But Rohit Sharma, the super player that he is, recovered tremendously with a sparkling 131 against Afghanistan, Virat Kohli has been solid with two half-centuries and KL Rahul is in tremendous form. India look good with the batting and the bowling, and their spinners are also doing a great job.

Pakistan appear well-balanced, with a terrific pace attack and Mohammad Rizwan in true form. It's difficult to pick who will win; the teams will go hard at each other and look for two more points. The favourites are probably India, who have never lost to Pakistan in a 50-over World Cup encounter.

Best XI should be played
At this stage of the competition, where every game is important, teams must play their best possible XI for the conditions and not experiment or give players game-time just for the sake of it. The aim must be to win, win well and improve the net run rate as much as they can, because I believe it will be very, very important when teams are chasing semi-final spots.

The one thing that has been extremely disappointing is the lack of crowds at the neutral games. Where are the crowds? Yes, they are at the Indian games, but I am just astonished at the lack of interest in non-India games at the moment. Hopefully, that will change as we go deeper into the competition.

Chivach Sports