For this 'titanic' clash, both the teams will feel the heat, and quite literally so. Sunday promises to be a very hot day at Adelaide where India and Pakistan will kickstart their World Cup campaign against each other. Though the day will start with a bright sunny morning with day temperatures expected to stay around 39°C, afternoon sun will be milder as the minimum is likely to remain around 27°C. A decent breeze coming from the north will provide relief to the players as humidity levels will also remain restricted to 20%.
Both India and Pakistan are not int he greatest of forms. Moreover, both teams lack settled and consistent combinations. India is struggling with niggles and injuries as lead paceman Ishant Sharma will be missing the tournament due to a knee injury. Pakistan too will miss out on the services of Mohammad Hafeez and Junaid Khan who have been withdrawn from the World Cup due to last minute injuries. Moreover, the absence of spin wizard Saeed Ajmal will also sting the Pakistan bowling line-up. In addition to all this, a rumored 'unrest' brewing in the Indian dressing room may affect the team's performance. Pakistan players too made news for the wrong reasons after 8 players were warned for staying out late this Thursday.
The two teams appear to be equally well matched on paper. While India boasts match-winners like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, Pakistan too feature key players like Shahid Afridi, Younus Khan, and Misbah-ul-Haq. However, when it comes to the bowling department, both sides fail to impress. Neither side features a genuine match winner or an experienced campaigner when it comes to the bowling line-up. Thus, at the end of the day, it will all boil down to the way the two teams optimize their resources to forge a winning combination. Whether it works or not, remains to be seen. Skymet will keep you updated on weather, cricket, and more as the biggest clash of the tournament sets off this Sunday.