India take on Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy which is a repeat of the two teams’ tournament opener. (Source: AP)
India take on Pakistan in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy after showing off why they’re one of the best sides in the world in formats of the game. After three wins and a loss, India have given a good account for themselves in all departments. Where Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have excelled with the bat at the top of the order and have been given a good fall back in Virat Kohli, the bowlers have been splendid too. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have done well despite the pitches not playing to the best of their abilities.
Up against them are Pakistan who have had a see-saw campaign in England and Wales. They started with a disappointing show and were subsequently swept aside by India in a 124 run demolition, they came back to improve on all fronts. First they got the better of South Africa, albeit with the luck of the rain and the Duckworth-Lewis system. They followed it up with wins against Sri Lanka and then convincingly against England in the semi-final. Against England is when Pakistan shone brightest with the bat and with the ball to win by eight wickets.
The final to be played at The Oval in London will see cloudy conditions. With the game scheduled to start at 10.30 AM local time (BST). The temperature remains near 27-28 degrees celsius before the rain is likely to kick in at 2 PM mark and predicted to last two hours. Rain is expected to return near the 6 PM mark which is when the game is likely to wrap up and the winner be known.
It is difficult to ascertain how the pitch will play and behave considering the overcast conditions at The Oval but if the previous matches are any indication at the venue, teams are expected to bowl first. Of the five matches at this venue, four have produced a result and the fifth, between Australia and Bangladesh, was washed out. In three of these four, teams that batted second went on to win. The only anomaly to this has been South Africa’s win over Sri Lanka.
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dinesh Karthik, Mohammed Shami, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Ahmed Shahzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Hasan Ali, Mohammed Amir, Rumman Raees, Junaid Khan, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail.
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (South Africa) and Richard Kettleborough (England)
