Canada vs India
June 15, Lauderhill, Florida, 10.30am local time
Big picture: Rain threat in Florida
Canada faces its toughest test of the T20 World Cup as India aim to enter the Super 8 stage with a clean sheet, but the match is suited to the Florida weather. Friday’s game between the USA and Ireland is washed out in this area, and there is an 85% chance of rain on Saturday.
If the match goes on, India may test its strength on the bench. They have fielded the same XI in their first three group matches, but with them protected and with no points advantage to carry forward in the Super Eight, they could give the likes of Kuldeep Yadav or Sanju Samson some game time.
India’s final group game is also Virat Kohli’s last chance to regain form ahead of the highly competitive Super Eight stage. Of all the hitters itching to get out of New York, you’re up there. His move to the top of the order produced scores of 4, 1 and 0, and Kohli is not even among the tournament’s 150 run-scorers. He doesn’t have exceptional numbers at Florida, though: 63 runs in three innings for a 21.00 average.
As the USA secured their place in the Super Eight in Group A along with India, Canada were eliminated, picking up just two points from their first three games. Competing in the first T20 World Cup, they scored 194 in their first match against the USA and then comfortably won against Ireland. They even gave Pakistan a scare, and they will hope to perform at their best against their top-ranked rivals.
Form guide: India on a roll
India WWWWW (last five games, most recent first)
Canada LWLLL
Highlights: Aaron Johnson and Hardik Pandya
Despite making his T20I debut in November 2022, Aaron Johnson is already Canada’s second highest run-scorer. He has had an excellent start to his international career, scoring four innings and one century in his first seven T20I innings, and has maintained his form. No other Canadian batsman has more runs than Johnson’s 400 in 12 innings since the start of 2023. He will come into this game after a confident 52 against Pakistan.
Hardik Pandya doesn’t have much to do with the bat, but he has been useful with the ball. He is India’s joint-highest wicket-taker so far in the tournament, with seven wickets in three matches, and he has stopped batsmen in the middle overs. Hardik beat those tough times and finished the New York leg with an economy of 5.41.
Team news: Will India give Kuldeep a chance?
Canada’s move to bring Ravinderpal Singh to Dilpreet Bajwa didn’t work, Ravinderpal got out for a second-ball duck. They may return to Bajwa against India.
Canada (probable XI): 1 Aaron Johnson, 2 Navneet Dhaliwal, 3 Pargat Singh, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Shreyas Movva (wk), 6 Ravinderpal Singh/Dilpreet Bajwa, 7 Dilon Heyliger, 8 Saad Bin Zafar (capt), 9 Kaleem Sana , 10 Junaid Siddiqui, 11 Jeremy Gordon
India can rest one of their fast bowlers and bring in Kuldeep, whose wrist might be needed in the Super Eight stage in the West Indies.
India (probable XI): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Axar Patel, 9, 10, 11 Jasprit Bumrah /Mohammed Siraj/Kuldeep Yadav/Arshdeep Singh
Tone and conditions: Rain warning
Thursday was dry but Friday was a shower in Lauderhill. The forecast for Saturday morning is not promising, with scattered thunderstorms forecast throughout the day.
Arshdeep has bowled six overs in the powerplay in this T20 world cup and conceded one boundary.
Out of the 56 overs that India bowled in this tournament, only nine were bowled by the bowlers
Canada has never faced India in a T20I.
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