T20 World Cup 2021: India vs Pakistan predicted playing XIs

Virat Kohli's final assignment as T20I captain commences on Sunday, October 24 as India take on Pakistan in Match 16 of the 2021 T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium.

India and Pakistan are placed in Group 2 alongside Afghanistan, Namibia, Scotland and New Zealand, and an early win would go a long way in solidifying a semi-final berth. The two countries are ranked second and third respectively in the ICC's T20I rankings, but that holds little value in a game which transcends the context of the T20 World Cup.

Here are the predicted playing XIs of India and Pakistan for their highly anticipated T20 World Cup clash.

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T20 World Cup 2021: India's predicted playing XI against Pakistan

KL Rahul plays a short during Australia v India - T20 Game 1

India's batting lineup is fairly settled, with Ishan Kishan likely to be the only batter on the sidelines despite his exceptional recent form. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are indispensable openers, and the middle order doesn't have many spots up for grabs.

In the bowling department, though, India have several selection dilemmas. Only Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah are guaranteed to be part of the playing XI, with India needing to choose between having three pacers and three spinners. Hardik Pandya's inability to bowl and the Dubai wicket might prompt them to choose the former.

In this case, the in-form Shardul Thakur could come into the lineup. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a decent outing in the second warm-up game, but his form has been patchy over the last few months. Mohammed Shami, who has bowled well whenever called upon despite being inexperienced at the T20I level, is a must.

One of Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar should then partner Jadeja in the spin attack. While Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the warm-ups, Chakravarthy offers an enticing mystery spin option. Chahar isn't bowling at his best right now, but Pakistan have only one left-hander in their top seven.

It's almost impossible to predict the direction India take, but Chakravarthy - who had a splendid Indian Premier League campaign - could be the frontrunner.

Predicted XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

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T20 World Cup 2021: Pakistan's predicted playing XI against India

Will Haider Ali find a place in the Pakistan middle order?

Things are more clear for Pakistan, who have announced a 12-man squad for the India clash. Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim are the three men who've missed out, leaving the selection of the playing XI to be a rather straightforward task.

Haider Ali didn't bat in either warm-up game, suggesting that he isn't in Pakistan's immediate plans. Although Mohammad Hafeez registered scores of 0 and 13 in the two games, his experience might prove to be invaluable in a high-octane clash. Pakistan could choose to go with the dynamism of Haider, who was in good form during the National T20 Cup, but Hafeez is still the frontrunner.

Predicted XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi