India is set to face Pakistan in their second match of the Champions Trophy in Dubai. India had a convincing win against Bangladesh in their first match, while Pakistan experienced a tough start to the tournament on home soil. A victory in this match is crucial for Pakistan's chances of progressing, which raises the stakes for this clash.
In their previous game, India secured a composed victory where Shubman Gill led the team with a century. The bowling unit effectively restricted Bangladesh to a manageable total, making it easier for the batters during the chase. The question now is whether India will retain the same lineup as in the Bangladesh match or adjust it based on the opposition they are about to face today. Let's take a look at India's predicted lineup as Rohit Sharma's team prepares to take on Mohammed Rizwan's side in Dubai.
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As for potential changes in the lineup, India is not expected to make significant adjustments ahead of this important match. Any changes would likely be influenced by the playing surface in Dubai. In the previous match there was no dew and conditions are anticipated to remain the same today. Keeping this in mind, India might consider adding an extra spinner to their squad to tackle Pakistan.
The thinking behind this is that Pakistan has struggled against spinners, as seen in their match against New Zealand. India would likely want to capitalize on this weakness in today's encounter. Currently, India already has three spinners in their lineup: Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel. Introducing an additional spinner, such as Varun Chakravarthy, could disrupt the team's balance as Gautham Gambhir likely won't change the batters and all-rounders already in the mix.Â
Another option could be replacing Kuldeep Yadav with Varun Chakravarthy, especially since Kuldeep did not take any wickets in the first match against Bangladesh. This could prompt India to experiment with Varun Chakravarthy against Pakistan.
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This decision might be a close call for India because Varun Chakravarthy did not perform well in Dubai during his last appearance in an ICC tournament. If Gambhir believes that Chakravarthy can exploit the conditions in Dubai with his mystery spin, he may be chosen over Kuldeep Yadav for this match against Pakistan.
This potential change is likely to be the only adjustment India would make, maintaining the rest of the lineup as is. Players like Harshit Rana will probably remain in the team, especially after he took three wickets in the first match. Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh's chances appear to be diminishing. However, if India needs a left-arm seamer to take advantage of Dubai's dry conditions, he could be included as the third seamer, with one spin option benched.
Predicted Playing 11 for India
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarty.
