T20 World Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma-led Indian team arrives in Melbourne for long-awaited Pakistan clash

The preparations for the T20 World Cup 2022 are over and it is time for India to show their class once their campaign starts on Sunday, October 23. Having arrived in Australia quite early for the tournament, India played two practice games in Perth and then one warm-up fixture in Brisbane. The second of the scheduled warm-up fixtures against New Zealand was washed out due to heavy rains. 

Coming to the tournament, in the Super 12 India are placed alongside South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh and two teams are set to join their group from the ongoing First Round. The Men in Blue are slated to play their arch-rivals Pakitan in their opening encounter and there is a huge hype around the game, especially after the result in the previous edition.

In two games between the sides this year in Asia Cup 2022, India and Pakistan each won once and the Men in Blue will be looking to take the all-important lead. 

This will also mark the first time that Rohit Sharma will be leading India in an ICC tournament. Meanwhile, BCCI recently posted a video on Twitter of India’s journey to Melbourne from Brisbane. 

Perth ✔️
Brisbane ✔️
Preparations ✔️

We are now in Melbourne for our first game! #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/SRhKYEnCdn

— BCCI (@BCCI) October 20, 2022

"Perth, Brisbane, Preparations. We are now in Melbourne for our first game!" captioned BCCI.

Rain to play spoilsport in India-Pakistan game

The weather forecast for the upcoming India-Pakistan clash on Sunday looks disappointing for the fans and the match might get washed out. It would be a massive setback as India and Pakistan no longer play in bilateral series and the ICC tournaments and Asia Cups are the only two possible platforms where the two teams meet each other. 

There are no reserve days for rain-affected games in the Super 12 stage of the tournament and will be used only for the semi-final and final if the necessity comes up.