India vs Pakistan LIVE: Babar Azam drops Haider Ali from Playing XI

India vs Pakistan LIVE – Pakistan Playing XI vs India in T20 World Cup LIVE: The pre-match news turned out to be true as Haider Ali has been dropped from the 12-man squad by Pakistan captain Babar Azam for the high-octane clash against arch-rivals India. Follow IND vs PAK T20 Word Cup live updates on InsideSport.in

India vs Pakistan LIVE: Pakistan playing XI out, Haider Ali to be dropped from XI: Follow IND vs PAK LIVE Updates

Pakistan Playing XI: Geo News has reported that Pakistan captain Babar Azam has decided to go with the more experienced Asif Ali instead of Haider Ali, as far as picking the playing XI is concerned.

Haider Ali’s name was included in the 12-man squad announced by skipper Babar Azam yesterday.

Pakistan’s Playing XI for today’s match-

Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi.

Earlier Babar Azam had announced his 12 on Saturday

Pakistan captain @babarazam258 previews team’s opening game.#WeHaveWeWill #T20WorldCup https://t.co/eCKx2iTiZo

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 23, 2021

India vs Pakistan LIVE: Babar Azam declares, ‘Batting will be our strength against India‘

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“Batting is our strength. We have prepared well and the batsmen have been in good touch. So, our strength will be batting,” Babar Azam said in the pre-match press conference.

Openers- Babar Azam & Mohd Rizwan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam and Mohd Rizwan have emerged as one of the top performers among openers in T20 cricket for the last two years.
The duo emerged as the best opening pair for Pakistan with 829 runs in 15 matches which includes three hundred partnerships and an equal number of fifty-run stands.
Babar Azam has amassed 799 runs in 20 inns for Pakistan in the last couple of years. It features 8 fifties and a century.
He has only played against India in ODIs with 158 runs in 5 matches with a top score of 48 runs.
His partner Mohd Rizwan has amassed 752 runs in 17 matches in 2021 at an average of 94 and a strike rate of 140+. He has smashed 7 fifties and a century.
However, Rizwan failed to perform in the warmup fixtures against West Indies and South Africa. He will play against India for the first time.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam is leaving no stones unturned to help Pakistan beat India for the first time in a T20 World Cup. He underwent a special training session to rewrite history for Pakistan, end the losing streak against Men in Blue.

How the KING prepares! Presenting to you the @babarazam258 practice and preparation routine.#WeHaveWeWill #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7uNgrk9pYE

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 23, 2021

T20 World Cup LIVE – India vs Pakistan LIVE

Middle-order

No.3- Fakhar Zaman:

Pakistan’s reliable batsman Fakhar Zaman has been forgetful in the shortest format with just 265 runs in 19 matches in the last two years.
On the contrary, he was quite impressive in the ODIs with 365 runs in 6 matches in 2021 which features a couple of back-to-back centuries against South Africa.
He is expected to emulate his One Day International performance in T20 World Cup.

No.4 & 5- Mohd Hafeez & Shoaib Malik:

Former Pakistan captains Mohd Hafeez and Shoaib Malik are a massive boost for Babar Azam & Co.
The duo have played 100+ T20Is for Pakistan and featured against India in a number of matches.
Shoaib Malik has a phenomenal record against India in ODIs.
He has amassed 1782 runs and taken 22 wickets in 42 games.
However, he has managed 164 runs from 8 innings in T20Is at an average of 27.33.
He has not played a T20I for Pakistan in 2021 and last year he managed just 72 runs in a couple of appearances.
Hafeez can also contribute to Pakistan with his all-around ability.
He has scored 156 runs in 7 matches at an average of 26. The 42-year-old had managed to score 415 runs in 10 T20Is but has a dismal record in 2021.
He has managed a meagre 106 runs across 9 innings at a poor average of 11.78.

Meanwhile, Asif Ali needs to pull up his shocks as he has managed just 344 runs in 29 T20Is.

Babar Azam on bowling department- Pakistan skipper also shed light on the bowling department. He said that Pakistan has a good bowling attack and everyone is experienced of playing in big tournaments like World Cups.

“Every team has their own strength, our bowling has always been dominant. When you want to win a big tournament, the onus is on the bowlers to perform well, our bowlers are in good shape. They have experience of playing big tournaments like Champions Trophy, World Cup,” he said.

“It is about staying relaxed, we are in constant touch with all the players. It is about playing well on the day. We have played a lot of cricket here, we know the conditions and we know how to go about it. We have gone for the players that we felt would be the best for the clash against India,” he added.

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Talking about India’s record against Pakistan in World Cups, Babar said: “It is about keeping things simple, we need to focus on the basics. We just want to give our best. We should not think about the past, records are made to be broken, we are just focused on what lies ahead.”

“It is a World Cup, you cannot take any game lightly. India Pakistan matches are always full of high intensity, you cannot be relaxed at any point. You have to do well in all three basics of the game — batting, bowling, and fielding. It is not like our bowling is under pressure, we tried different things in the warm-up games. I have full confidence in my team,” he added.

Asked whether Pak PM Imran Khan had a special message for the team, Babar said: “We met PM Imran Khan before coming here, he shared anecdotes from the 1992 WC triumph, but he gave no special message to us.”

Pakistan’s 12-member squad against India: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Hasan Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

India vs Pakistan LIVE: Babar Azam declares, ‘Batting will be our strength against India‘

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