IND vs PAK ODI WC 2023: Venue, where to watch, head-to-head record, probable lineups & more

Battle of Kings: While the two teams boast of a plethora of superstars, all eyes will be on India's Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

The most-awaited game of the ODI World Cup is upon us. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, on October 14 in what promises to be a cracking encounter. Both teams have won their opening 2 matches and this game is billed to be the most exciting match of the tournament.

It will be a starry affair on the pitch and off it as well, with reports suggesting cinema stars such as Rajinikanth and politicians are expected in attendance. Further, there could also be a performance by singer Arijit Singh during the innings break.

Venue and pitch report

The venue for this epic encounter will be the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The largest sports stadium in the world was renovated in 2021 to its current state and has a reported capacity of around 132,000-capacity. The venue is no stranger to the big occasion. In March 1987, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar became the first to scale the 10,000-Test run mark at the venue against Pakistan.

In the recent past, in May 2023, the Narendra Modi Stadium hosted the IPL final, which saw the local team Gujarat Titans lose to Chennai Super Kings in a thrilling final.

Also Read: ICC ODI World Cup 2023: A look at all 10 venues

The pitch is generally good for batting but also offers slow and low turn for spinners across the 2 innings of the game. The venue has different types of pitches – red soil, black soil, and mixed. While the red soil pitches offer bounce and spin, the black soil pitch will see the ball keeping low without much turn. Either way, the spinners are expected to play a bigger role than fast bowlers.

Recent records suggest that the bowlers have had a better time at the venue as the batting teams have averaged a mere 28.4, which is the second-lowest across the 10 venues of this World Cup. No team has scored more than 270 in the last three ODIs, no team has breached the 270-run mark.

Keeping that in mind, the team that wins the toss today will put the opposition to bat first as chasing under lights, with dew coming into play in the evening, will make batting easier in the second innings.

Injury updates and probable Playing XIs

Ahead of their tournament opener, India were dealt a serious blow after opening batter Shubman Gill suffered a bout of dengue, which saw him miss the opening 2 matches. However, the right-hand opening batsman, who was hospitalised in Chennai for treatment, seems to have recovered as he joined the team in Ahmedabad and even had a batting session on October 12. With his health reportedly improving, Gill is expected to slot back into the starting XI, which could see Ishan Kishan relegated to the bench.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have no injury concerns and will have their entire squad to choose from.

Likely playing XIs:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf

Players to watch out for

Batters – Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill

All-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Khan.

Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, R Ashwin, Haris Rauf.

Head-to-head-record

India and Pakistan have a storied past in the history of ODI cricket. In ODI World Cups, the Men in Bule have a very peculiar record of never losing a game against their arch-rivals. India leads Pakistan 7-0 in ODI World Cups, with the win in the 2019 edition being the team's biggest by run margin; a comfortable 89-run win at Old Trafford, in Manchester.

Where to watch on TV?

Television viewers can watch the India vs Pakistan on the Star Sports Network in India.

Where to watch online?

For those watching on other devices like smart TVs, laptops, and smartphones, the ODI World Cup 2023 will be streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app.

For smartphone users of the app, the matches will be streamed for free while on other devices you will require a subscription to Disney+Hotstar.