On October 14th, India will take on Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Considering the conditions and the opposition, the men in blue could go with a few changes, despite the win over Afghanistan on Wednesday. On that note, here, we take a look at two changes India might make in playing 11 against Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
1) Shubman Gill for Ishan Kishan
Shubman Gill has reached Ahmedabad directly from Chennai. This update itself leads to the discussion that Gill might, as well, play against Pakistan on Saturday. As seen in the IPL and India encounters, Gill is at his very best at this venue. Yes, the issue with the weakness could be there but if he is close to being ready, India should take the risk.
Ishan Kishan looked good against Afghanistan. However, against the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Ishan might have a few issues. Gill, though, has played against them in opening phase before. He also the experience of conditions. Hence, he would be an upgrade.
2) Mohammed Shami for Shardul Thakur
Mohammed Shami for Shardul Thakur is one of the changes India might make in the playing 11 against Pakistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Under lights at Ahmedabad, Mohammed Shami is one of the best bowlers right now. Yes, India might have a problem in the batting depth, but Shami can make up for it with some important Pakistan wickets.
Especially after Siraj’s underwhelming day in Delhi, India might want to have one more good powerplay in the side. The middle-overs are, anyways, being taken care of well by Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. With Shami, he can bowl in the powerplay and also get a few overs at the death. It will also be interesting to see how he can do the job in the middle-overs.