Asia Cup 2023: Team India’s predicted XI against Pakistan

India will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.

For the high voltage clash, senior batsman KL Rahul and premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah are available for selection. The unorthodox speedster turned out for India in an ODI after almost 11 months in the India vs Pakistan Group A clash. However, he didn’t get a chance to bowl. The Mumbai Indians pacer then flew back to India for the birth of his first son with wife Sanjana Ganesan.

Meanwhile, Rahul is making a comeback from a thigh surgery he underwent after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Rahul was initially named in the Asia Cup 2023 squad but suffered another niggle in his recovery and flew to Sri Lanka only after India qualified for the Super 4 stage in Asia Cup.

If Rahul comes in for the Super 4 match on Sunday, either Shreyas Iyer or in-form Ishan Kishan could be dropped. Kishan scored his fourth successive ODI fifty – a brilliant 82 against Pakistan in the last match to lift India from 66 for 4.

Moreover, Bumrah’s return could mean that there will be no place for veteran pacer Mohammed Shami in the line-up.

India squad: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer/Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.