With India facing Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener in Melbourne, focus will be on all-rounder Hardik Pandya, especially with the absence of key veteran Ravindra Jadeja. Fans and critics will also be curious to see if the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain bowls or not against Babar Azam's side and it looks like Pandya has given an update on it. (IND vs PAK Live Score and Updates)
After toss, Pandya was asked if he would bowl by a reporter and he said, "Have many fond memories here, I made my T20I debut in Australia, and from there the journey has continued. It's good to be back here, you can't get a better place to play sport and enjoy. The body is fine, I think you should put that topic about my body on rest, you will see me bowling."
Giving his verdict on the match, he added, "We are playing international cricket, it's not only about Pakistan bowlers. Any team which is playing will have quality bowing at this level, international cricket has certain standards. So we all are aware about it and as a batting unit we have had a word about it. We have worked very hard to come here. The team that plays well, wins the contest."
India will be aiming to begin their T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note, especially after their poor performance last year. During last year's T20 World Cup, India crashed out of the SUper 12 stage, including a shocking opening defeat to Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}India will be aiming to begin their T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note, especially after their poor performance last year. During last year's T20 World Cup, India crashed out of the SUper 12 stage, including a shocking opening defeat to Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}Playing XIs-
Pakistan: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
India: Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik(w), Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh