T20 World Cup 2022: Predicting Pakistan's playing XI for the game against India

Pakistan will begin their  T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals India at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, October 23. Both teams have faced off against each other three times in the last 10 months with Pakistan enjoying a 2-1 lead. 

The last time both teams faced off against each other in the T20 World Cup, it was the Men in Green who successfully ended their 29-year World Cup jinx against India with an emphatic 10-wicket win in Dubai and they would be eager to add yet another feather in their cap by beating India in a World Cup event that too at the iconic MCG.

Meanwhile, with Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and a returning Shaheen Shah Afridi set to make a statement in the showpiece event down under, here's a look at Pakistan's predicted playing XI for their T20 World Cup opener against arch-rivals India.

1. Babar Azam

Babar Azam might have been dethroned as the number one T20I batter after a disappointing Asia Cup campaign last month. However, the Pakistani skipper has been shattering records after records in the shortest format and this is one format that he enjoys playing the most.

Heading into the T20 World Cup, Babar has registered a match-winning century in the home series against England and a couple of half-centuries in the ongoing New Zealand T20I tri-series and thus, has roared back to form just at the right time. 

Lately, Azam completed 11000 runs in international cricket and has become the 11th Pakistani player to achieve this feat. Thus, expect the Pakistan white-ball batting megastar to showcase a stellar performance against India.