From Shaheen Afridi to Babar Azam: Look at top five Pakistan stars to watch out in blockbuster India World Cup clash

Ahead of the blockbuster clash at Narendra Modi Stadium, we take a look at the top five Pakistan players to watch out in the World Cup match against India...

It is that time of the tournament when the entire attention turns towards the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the most-anticipated clash of 2023 ODI World Cup. Both India and Pakistan will head into the contest on the back of an impressive start to the event, albeit in contrasting styles. India took down five-time champions Australia in Chennai in their opener before decimating Afghanistan in Delhi to stand third in the points table. Both the wins came in convincing fashion with neither the bowling nor the batting line-up looking to struggle so far although India are fretting over Shubman Gill's recovery from dengue for the big match at his favourite venue. Pakistan, meanwhile, who played both their matches in Hyderabad, managed to survive a scare against Netherlands before scripting a thriller in a run chase against Sri Lanka to take the fourth spot in the table. On Saturday, however, all past records, wins, numbers will have no meaning, but what will surely matter is the thrill it promises. And it will not be just the thousands present at the venue that will witness it unfold in front of their eyes, but will have the attention of billions across the globe through their television or digital sets.

Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi and captain Babar Azam celebrate the wicket of Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva during ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka (PTI)

Ahead of the blockbuster clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium, we take a look at the top five Pakistan players to watch out in the World Cup match against India...

Shaheen Afridi: A left-arm pacer with the ability to get that late movement in towards a right-hander - Shaheen has the perfect ingredient to rattle the Indian top-order which was on display at large a little over a month back when he dismissed Rohit Sharma for 11 and Virat Kohli for 4. And that wasn't the first time he had threatened the Indian top-order with 2021 T20 World Cup being the only other example. Saheen, however, hasn't made an impactful start so far to the tournament, with just two wickets for 103 runs in 96 balls, but he has vowed to pick up a five-wicket haul against India.

Babar Azam: Like Shaheen, the captain is also yet to show his class in the tournament. His knocks of 80 and 90 in the warm-up ties did look promising enough with veterans and experts warning oppositions to watch out for Babar in the World Cup, but the star batter has so far managed only 15 runs in two matches. He also doesn't own a very decent record against India in this format with 168 runs in six innings which includes two single-digit knocks. With the match likely to decide the tone of Pakistan's remaining games in the World Cup, Babar will be raring to step up and take on the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Mohammad Rizwan: Unlike his T20 prowess, there is little discussion about Rizwan's abilities in the ODI format. But with two stunning knocks - 68 against Netherlands and 131* against Sri Lanka - the wicketkeeper-batter has proven his white-ball skills once again and heads into the India contest on the back of a stellar form.

Haris Rauf: The speedster has blown under the radar so far in the tournament with five wickets for 107 runs, but Rauf will be looking to emulate his Pallekele show last month when he had finished with 3 for 58 against India. He would also want to settle the score with Kohli, who had smashed him for two iconic sixes in the T20 World Cup last year.

Abdullah Shafique: Amid Pakistan's opening struggles, Shafique capitalised on his golden opportunity in the match against Sri Lanka to seal his spot at least till the end of the league stage with a stunning century en route to his knock of 113. Pakistan woul definitely want the opener to emulate his show in Ahmedabad on Saturday and provide the perfect platform to Babar and Rizwan.