Web Desk
CHENNAI: Pakistan Captain Misbahul Haq won the toss and elected to field first against India, SAMAA reports on Sunday.
Umar Akmal is replaced by Shoaib Malik in Pakistan squad while Sehwag comes in to replace Ajinkya Rahane in the Indian squad.
Pakistan squad: Nasir, Younis, Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq (cap) Kamran Akmal, Azhar, Shoaib Malik,Junaid Khan,Umar Gul,Saeed Ajmal, Irfan.
India squad: G Gambhir, V Sehwag, B Kumar, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, SK Raina, RG Sharma, MS Dhoni*†, R Ashwin, I Sharma, AB Dinda.
With more rains predicted here today, first ODI between Pakistan and India is expected to be affected by the weather. It has been raining in Chennai since Friday, so 9:00 am start means there’s little time for the outfield to dry up.
Both the teams are meeting for the second time in 2012. They first played against each other in Asia Cup earlier this year when India beat Pakistan by six wickets. Pakistan set a huge total of 329 which India chased comprehensively with 13 balls remaining.
Pakistan’s overall record against the arch-rival is better. Out of 121 matches played between them Pakistan has won 69. In India, Pakistan has won 17 matches out of 27. This would be their first ODI on Indian soil after 2007.
In 2012, India won nine matches and lost six, while Pakistan won only six and lost ten.
This will be India’s first ODI at home in well over a year and first since Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement from this format of the game.
New Rules:
This match would be the first occasion when the new rules would be implemented.
Under the new rules, one new ball will be used at each end, bowlers will be allowed two bouncers an over, there will be no batting Power Play, the bowling Power Play will have to be completed before the 40th over, and at no stage in the innings will more than four fielders be allowed outside the 30-yard circle.
Skippers speak:
At the pre-match press conference on Saturday, captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that adapting to the new rules will be very difficult for both the bowlers and captain. We are here to play good positive cricket, he added.
On the other hand Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rated Pakistan bowling attack more balanced than India. “Overall, Pakistan is a very good team. Its combination is such that they have specialist bowlers and have five bowlers for a match. In a way I feel they have complete bowling attack”.
Cricket diplomacy:
Indian media has reported that President Zardari may travel to India on January 3rd to watch second one-day international with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.
The paper said: “If Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari confirms his presence, it will be after a long time that the president of the two countries will grace a cricket match. President Pranab Mukherjee is already scheduled to attend the match. Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will be in the city on January 3, to attend the Science Congress meet at Yuva Bharati stadium, may drop in at the stadium with an aim to improve India-Pakistan ties through cricket”. SAMAA
