Dinesh Karthik reveals key matchup moment for India-Pakistan Clash

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Former Indian cricketer, Dinesh Karthik, has shed light on a crucial matchup he eagerly anticipates in the highly awaited India-Pakistan 2023 World Cup clash. 

In a recent segment with Cricbuzz, Karthik emphasized the pivotal encounter that could set the tone for this high-stakes cricket battle.

"The first, the most important one, the one that sets the trend of the game Shaheen Shah Afridi vs the centurion Rohit Sharma that's going to be mouthwatering," he said.

The former wicket-keeper also expressed his thoughts on Shaheen Afridi, highlighting that the Pakistan pacer hasn't quite found his desired rhythm and late swing. 

He emphasized the critical role of the release point in achieving the desired late swing and how Shaheen's ability to execute this could impact the game. 

"Shaheen has not probably got the rhythm that he has wants, he is somebody who finds late swing and he hasn't found the swing, it depends on the release point, you need to get it bang on to be able to get late swing otherwise it swings early then the batters find it easily and thats's why he's probably not good enough with the new ball," he said.

Furthermore, the 38-year-old acknowledged the promising performance of Haris Rauf in the initial match but noted a slight dip in his form during the subsequent game. 

He attributed this to Rauf still being a work in progress, emphasizing the need for time and experience to refine his game.

"Haris Rauf, I thought he bowled really well in the first match, it's only in the second match that he got hit, also in the warm-up games he wasn't finding the rhythm that he wants so he's still a little bit of work in progress and this is also his first fifty over World Cup, sp, give him some time, these are two quality bowlers they will come good," he concluded.

It is worth noting that the Men in Green emerged victorious in their initial two matches of the 2023 World Cup against Netherlands and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan will face arch-rivals India in their third match of the 2023 World Cup on October 14th at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.