Cricket World Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan: 'Rohit Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi Is Going To Be A Battle To Watch,' Says Sanjay Bangar

India will take on Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

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With less than 24 hours to go, we are inch closer to the epic India vs Pakistan clash at ICC cricket World Cup. Reviewing the exciting contest ahead, ex-assistant coach & ex-India cricketer Sanajy Bangar spoke exclusively to Star Sports show “Follow the Blues”. He shared his views on what would make up the key battles in tomorrow’s match, and he also discussed about Gill’s inclusion in the starting 11.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports show, “Follow the Blues”, StarCast Sanjay Bangar shared his views on what would make up the key battles in tomorrow’s match, he said, "First up, the key battle is going to be between the opening batter and the bowler. So, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Rohit Sharma is going to be a key battle because the manner in which Rohit Sharma is playing fearless cricket. And especially the last time India played against Pakistan, he had taken the attack to them along with Shubman Gill, and they really charged at the all the 3 pacers scoring at a fast pace in those first 10 overs. So, if India do end up having a wonderful start like that again, then pressure will be on the Pakistan bowlers from the start. Having spoken about the Sharma-Afridi match-up, another key battle is between Virat Kohli and Haris Rauf, because Haris Rauf bowls a very good short ball at good pace, that battle would also be good to watch. And also when their batters come out to bat, it would be exciting to watch if Kuldeep Yadav is able to take Babar Azam’s wicket.” (Cricket World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma Breaks Silence On Shubman Gill's Availability For India vs Pakistan Clash, Says THIS)

Sanjay Bangar also discussed about Gill’s inclusion in the starting 11, if he is match-fit, he said, “If he is fit, then definitely he will be in the playing XI straight away. But still I am not fully sure that whether he should be included in the playing XI or not because though as a player he will always want to play the match even if he is sixty percent fit or seventy percent fit but since it’s October month and the rain has just stopped some days ago, the condition here is very hot and humid, there will be a lot of heat going on. So, we don’t want him to play so early after his recovery from his illness and thus as a result may be missing the remaining matches of the tournament. So, we should be still happy even if he misses tomorrow’s match because anyway India is in a good position in this tournament right now, and if he is fully fit then he will definitely play till the finals.”

Catch all the action from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 –India vs Pakistan, October 14th 2023, from 12:30 pm onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.