गाउँको दुरदराजदेखि काठमाडौंको सिंहदरबारसम्म

The Indian team won the toss and chose to bowl first. Rohit Sharma said that Shubman Gill is back and he will replace Ishan Kishan as the opener. So here we are! The day you’ve all been waiting for. The day that brings two countries to a standstill. A match that has become a showpiece event in any multi-team cricket tournament, especially since the stoppage of bilateral series between the two sides. It may have been woefully, tragicomically one-sided in India’s favour in the previous decade but recent matches between the two teams have often tended to become the humdingers it has always been known to be. It is the match that fans on both sides of the border, and arguably those living far away from it within other borders, set their eyes when the World Cup schedule was announced, and re-announced. The ultimate showdown for which hotel tariffs and flight tickets have soared through the roof. For which people are booking hospital beds. It is the grand spectacle – India vs Pakistan at the World Cup!

India vs Pakistan Live Score, World Cup: Rohit Sharma won the toss

India vs Pakistan Live Score, World Cup: Rohit Sharma won the toss (PTI)

This is a fixture that is now being spoken of as not just the biggest rivalry in cricket, but in all of sports – above the Superbowl, El Clasico et all. It isn’t for no reason though, some of the mind-boggling rating statistics from recent matches does back up that case pretty well, apart from the fact that there is hardly ever a seat in the stadium that would be left empty when these two sides collide regardless of where in the world the match is being played. Four years after they last squared off in a 50-over World Cup, the stage is set for India and Pakistan to renew their cricket rivalry on cricket’s biggest extravaganza. Potentially in front of 130,000 fans at the world’s largest cricket stadium, Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Goosebumps and chills are guaranteed throughout the day, starting from the National Anthem all the way to the final delivery bowled.

Add to that the glamour quotient that has been added. In cricket, nothing is bigger than the game, unless it’s India vs Pakistan. We saw that in the Asia Cup last month, where a reserved day was installed just for this clash and now the World Cup – which did not have an opening ceremony but will have the razzmatazz of Bollywood with artists such as Shankar Mahadevan, Arijit Singh and more set to perform.

Now on to some history. Although the India-Pakistan World Cup rivalry is lettered with memorable moments – Ajay Jadeja’s hammering of Waqar Younis at the 1996 quarterfinal, Javed Miandad losing it at Kiran More’s constant chirping, Sachin Tendulkar playing arguably the greatest ODI innings of his life and India prevailing over Pakistan in a thriller in the 2011 semifinal – there is one trivia that beats it all, 7-0. India are undefeated against Pakistan in the World Cup since 1992. Everytime a World Cup arises, the question is: Can Pakistan end India’s unbeaten streak? But the result hasn’t changed in 31 long years. This gave birth to possibly the most successful ‘Mauka-Mauka’ ad campaign, but the winning run has continued through Sydney, Bengaluru, Manchester, Centurion, Mohali and Adelaide. Two years ago, Babar Azam broke it in T20Is, and has his eyes set on an encore.

And as we build towards today’s blockbuster, there are so many individual battles to watch out for. Shaheen Afridi vs Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah vs Babar Azam, Kuldeep Yadav to Mohammad Rizwan… the list is endless. The contest also promises to fuel the Kohli vs Babar debate once again. There has been only one winner in this battle in India-Pakistan ties thus far – Kohli has scored 523 runs from 9 innings, in comparison to Babar’s 204 from eight. A huge gulf. But if there is ever a time to turn things around, it’s today.

Despite all the accolades he has earned in world cricket, of being the fastest to 5000 runs and one of the longest reigning No. 1-ranked batters of all time and all that, Babar hasn’t quite been able to crack the code against India. He averages a lowly 28 against India in 7 ODIs. His only fifty came during the T20 World Cup two years ago in which Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets. Kohli, meanwhile, has 662 runs from 15 ODI innings at an average of 55.16, and absolutely loves feasting on the Pakistan batters.

Up until last month, India and Pakistan appeared on an even keel, but Naseem Shah’s injury and him subsequently getting ruled out of the World Cup has changed things around dramatically. Suddenly, Pakistan’s new-ball attack lacks a bit of teeth. Of course, Haris Rauf is excellent, and Hasan Ali has the experience, but they’re both first or second-change bowlers. But what this does is that it puts extra responsibility on the shoulders of Shaheen Afridi, one of world’s best opening, new-ball bowlers going around today. Either this will bring the best out of him, or push him back like the first two games, giving away 103 runs while picking just two wickets. Having said that, bowling against India promises to be a huge motivation for Shaheen, and he reflected that confidence on the eve of the match when he, in a way, promised a selfie to a fan only after completing a five-wicket-haul.

Oh we’re excited about this one! The most anticipated match of this World Cup is here, and it’s sure to bring the house down.

Here are some key pointers surrounding the India vs Pakistan World Cup 2022 match:

– After missing the first two games, Shubman Gill, who was ’99 percent ready’ yesterday, is set to make his World Cup debut today.

– Pakistan have never beaten India in a 50-over World Cup, their winless streak dating way back to 1992

– Pakistan however boast a 88-73 lead over India in head-to-head ODI matches

– Pakistan broke India’s undefeated streak over them in World Cups (ODIs and T20Is combined) in T20 World Cup in 2021

– Virat Kohli has scored 662 runs from 15 ODIs against Pakistan at an average of 55.16

– Babar Azam meanwhile has just 168 runs to show for his efforts against India in 7 ODIs.