ICC CWC 19 IND vs PAK preview: All eyes on sky as India face Pakistan

Rain is expected to play its part as India play against Pakistan in Manchester. Pak will look to replicate their 2017 Champions Trophy final performance but India have a 6-0 record against Pak in

A spirited India cricket team will face arch-rivals Pakistan cricket team in the most anticipated clash of the ongoing ICC cricket World Cup 2019 at the Old Trafford, Manchester on Sunday. India are at fourth position with 5 points in 3 matches while Pakistan is at eighth position 3 points in 4 matches in the ICC World Cup 2019 Points Table. Having secured convincing wins over South Africa and Australia in their first two matches, the Men in Blue were not even able to get on the field for their third match against the Black Caps which was called off due to rain.

CHECK MATCH 22 (IND vs PAK) LIVE SCORE, WEATHER, TOSS UPDATES AND MATCH COMMENTARY HERE

Against Pakistan, India have won all their six encounters in the previous editions of the showpiece event and thus, Virat Kohli's men will have a psychological advantage over Sarfaraz Ahmed-led team.

However, the absence of in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan -- who got injured during the match-winning knock against Australia at The Oval -- might hurt India as suspense remains on who will open for the team along with Rohit Sharma. In all likelyhood, KL Rahul would open the innings with Rohit Sharma. 

India's bowling has also been pretty good with all the four bowlers -- Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav -- scalping wickets at crucial stages.

Pakistan, on the other hand, would be aiming to break the jinx and secure their first World Cup victory against India. However, it would require a formidable performance for the 1992 champions to overcome the two-time World Champions.

The Sarfaraz Ahmad-led side made a horrible start to their World Cup campaign as they suffered a crushing defeat against West Indies in their tournament opener. However, they came back strongly and registered a remarkable win against England. But against Australia, they failed to maintain their consistency and had to face a 41-run defeat in Taunton.

Pakistan's bowlers, however, have made a strong statement with the white ball but it the batting effort remains a point of concern for Sarfaraz Ahmed who himself has not been able to put runs on the scoreboard.

And so, Sarfaraz may be tempted to bring in Haris Sohail into the playing XI in place of Shoaib Malik, who has failed in each of his three outings in the tournament so far. Also, Pakistan's fielding has not been upto the mark and they have dropped many catches in the four games they have played so far.

Going by the record and form of both the teams, the odds look completely in favour of India but Pakistan -- capable of beating any opposition on their day -- will look to replicate their 2017 Champions Trophy final performance.

However, one thing which can ruin the mood of both the players and the fans is rain. The weather forecast for Sunday is not great and there are chances of rain in the afternoon which can play a big role in the result of the match. Teams batting second have won four of the last five matches at Old Trafford and with rain expected to play its part, both captains will be tempted to field first.

India vs Paksitan Weather Report: Rain is also expected during the second-half of the match and overcast conditions are likely throughout the match. There might be washout so it would be too early to say if there will a full 50-over match.

India vs Paksitan pitch conditions: The pitch will favour spinners and the dry conditions will help reverse swing during the later stages. The pitch is likely to help the batsmen more but the overcast overcast conditions may tilt the fixture in favour of bowlers.

India vs Pakistan key players: 

For India, all eyes will be on pacer Jasprit Bumrah to scalp early wickets and put the opposition under pressure. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will behandy for Virat Kohli to get breakthroughs in the middle overs. KL Rahul will have to shoulder responsibility in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan. A lot will rely on Virat Kohli when it comes to batting.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Amir, who has picked 10 wickets in three matches, will be the key player who can turn the match in Pakistan's favour. Wahab Riaz will also be a key player for the side. In batting, a lot will depend on how Fakhar Zaman perform at the top of the order. Mohammad Hafeez can be a key player in middle overs for Pakistan.

India vs Pakistan playing 11 prediction

India playing 11 vs Pakistan: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (C), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan playing 11 vs India: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik/ Haris Sohail, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & WK), Shadab Khan, Hassan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir.

ICC World Cup 2019, Match 22: India vs Pakistan Live streaming details

Date and Day: June 16, 2019, Sunday.

Place: Old Trafford, Manchester

Time: 3:00 pm IST, 13:30 am local time

The World Cup 2019 India vs Pakistan match live streaming will be available live on Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 with English Commentary and Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD with Hindi Commentary. The live streaming of the World Cup 2019 India vs Pakistan match will be available on Hotstar.

India vs Pakistan Squads: 

India World Cup squad: Virat Kohli (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav

Pakistan World Cup squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk), Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman