"I have a plan for Rizwan" - Aakash Chopra on Pakistan's problems heading into World Cup 2023 clash vs India

Aakash Chopra believes Pakistan have a plethora of problems heading into their World Cup 2023 clash against India. He also suggested a plan the Indian bowlers could follow to get rid of the in-form Mohammad Rizwan.

The Men in Blue will square off against their western neighbors at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14. Both sides head into the match after opening their campaigns with back-to-back victories and will hope to continue the winning momentum.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted Pakistan's top-order issues and urged the Indian pacers to bombard Rizwan with bouncers. He elaborated:

"A lot of things are broken for Pakistan. Abdullah Shafique has scored runs but Imam-ul-Haq is missing, which means he hasn't scored runs. Someone is asking to bring Fakhar Zaman. You can bring Fakhar but it won't make a huge difference."

The former India opener added:

"Babar Azam hasn't scored runs. In fact, he has not scored a fifty against India in ODI cricket to date. I have a plan for Rizwan. Bowl him bouncers. Keep the ball close to his ears when he comes to bat."

Chopra recalled Arshdeep Singh dismissing the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter with a short-pitched delivery in their 2022 T20 World Cup clash in Melbourne. He said:

"Arshdeep Singh bowled a bouncer even in Melbourne and he was caught in the deep - remember. You need to bowl bouncers. Bring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya, and just pepper him with a lot of short-pitched deliveries. After that, you can catch hold of Iftikhar Ahmed and Saud Shakeel."

Rizwan played a 68-run knock in Pakistan's World Cup opener against the Netherlands and followed it up with an unbeaten 131 against Sri Lanka. India will want to dismiss him early to put pressure on the rest of the Pakistan batting lineup.

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Aakash Chopra: "The Indian team have to only keep in mind that they shouldn't lose a wicket in the first 15 overs"

Rohit Sharma scored a century in India's last game against Afghanistan. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra feels India will emerge victorious if they keep the Pakistan bowlers at bay for the first 15 overs. He stated:

"In batting, the Indian team have to only keep in mind that they shouldn't lose a wicket in the first 15 overs. More than one wicket shouldn't fall. If you lose just one wicket in the first 15 overs, you can take it in writing that you will win this match."

The reputed commentator pointed out that Pakistan's middle-overs bowling is extremely ordinary. He concluded by opining that the scales are heavily tilted towards India and that there are huge chances of the encounter being one-sided.