Caroline: 0:13

Welcome to Talk Before Wicket, the TBW podcast. In today's episode we'll cover the Indian captain's approach to the Asia Cup match against Pakistan, the India vs Pakistan rivalry in the 2023 Asia Cup via Com 18, winning the Indian cricket media rights, the updates on players participation in BBL and WBBL and Tim David's addition to Australia's ODI squad for South Africa. Stay tuned.

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Indian former cricket coach, ravi Shastri, recently spoke about the upcoming Asia Cup match against Pakistan, highlighting the importance of not focusing too much on rivalries. Shastri believes that India should keep their focus on their own game plan and not let the emotions of the rivalry affect their performance. When it comes to tackling Shaheen Afridian, co Sanjay Mandrakar suggests that India's openers should show respect for both Shaheen and Raofe and use Nasim's pace to their advantage. This tactical approach could prove successful for India in the match. Talking about the batting order, mandrakar has Kishan batting in his India 11. This decision has been influenced by KL Rahul's injury, which has simplified India's selection for their Asia Cup opener against Pakistan. Mandrakar seems confident in Kishan's abilities and sees him as a valuable addition to the team. Ravi Shastri, on the other hand, has shown his support for Suriyakumar Yadav as a game changer in ODIs. He believes that Yadav's skills and attacking style of play could make a significant impact on the Indian team's performance. Shastri goes a step further and asserts that India is not just the favourite for the Asia Cup, but also for the upcoming World Cup, which will be held in India. In terms of team composition, shastri expresses his preference for having the senior players play out of position rather than relying on younger players who may not have as much experience. He emphasises the importance of having a right and left hand combination of openers and suggests that Ishan Kishan should be positioned at the top of the order. Shastri also acknowledges the strength of Pakistan's bowling attack, emphasising their great balance. He looks forward to the potential matchup between Shaheen Afridi and Shubman Gill in Palaqeli, acknowledging the talent on both sides.

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The India-Pakistan match is set to be a momentous occasion as it marks their first ODI since the 2019 World Cup. However, there is a possibility of rain delaying the start of the game in Palaqeli. In terms of the overall strength of the team, shastri believes that the current Indian team is the best since the 2011 World Cup. He discusses the team combinations ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup, as well as Pakistan's strong pace attack. Shastri emphasises the importance of batsmen building on their starts, taking inspiration from Babar Azam's approach of converting good starts into big scores and hundreds. He wants all top order batters to follow this template in order to maximise their performance. Overall, shastri highlights India's favouritism in the upcoming matches, but also acknowledges that Pakistan has closed the gap between the two teams. It will be an exciting match for both teams, and fans will be eagerly awaiting the outcome.

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So, as I have already told you, we've got an exciting match coming up at the 2023 Asia Cup India vs Pakistan. And let me tell you, if someone tries to argue that there are bigger rivalries than this one, don't trust them. This is a match that cricket fans all around the world have been waiting for, and the anticipation is sky high. Now I have to take you back to the 2019 World Cup to find the last time these two teams faced each other in an ODI. It feels like ages ago. Remember the famous Fakhar Zaman 100 and that infamous Jasprit Boomra no Ball in the 2017 Champions Trophy Final. Well, it's been six years since then and they've only played three ODIs against each other since. That's why every match between India and Pakistan is so highly anticipated.

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Now let's talk about the favourites for Saturday's game in Pallakali. It's not an easy call to make. In the past, it has usually been a battle between Pakistan's bowlers and India's batters, and that's likely to be the case this time as well. Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, nasim Shah and Harris Rauf will be testing the likes of Rohit Sharma, shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, but with the ODI World Cup. Just over a month away, there's a lot more at stake.

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The Asia Cup was supposed to mark Shreyas Ayaz and Kail Rahul's return. While Ayya has been declared fit, rahul is still working on his full fitness. This has given Ishan Kishan another opportunity to prove himself. Kishan impressed everyone with three consecutive half-centuries in the West Indies, but they all came while opening the batting With Raheet back. Now Kishan may have to give up the opening slot. Speaking of key players, jasprit Boomerah is another one to watch for India. He made a comeback during the Island T20 Is and expressed his readiness to bowl 10 overs. While Saturday's match will be a true test of his claim, especially if the weather allows it, there's a rain threat looming over the game.

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On the Pakistani side, their captain, babar Azam, is in red-hot form, having scored a brilliant 151 against Nepal in the tournament opener. However, there might be a concern about Fakhar Zaman's recent form. Since his three successive hundreds against New Zealand, fakhar has struggled, managing only 139 runs in the next seven innings, but both Pakistan and India know how destructive he can be. Pakistan also has the advantage of a long batting line-up, something that India lacks. Now let's take a look at the form guide. In their last five ODIs, india has won three and lost two, while Pakistan has won four and lost one, so it's safe to say that both teams are in decent form.

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Moving on to the key players for this match, shreyas Ayer has been a subject of discussions for India, as many believe the team has a number four problem, but with Ayer's return, that problem seems to be solved. Since the 2019 World Cup, ayer has scored 805 runs at num4, with an average of 47.35 and a strike rate of 94.37. No other number four from the 10 teams participating in the 2023 ODI World Cup has a better average or more hundreds than Ayer's two, so India will be hoping for a trouble-free return for him. On the other hand, we have Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is a delight to watch for cricket fans unless you're the one facing him. His ability to swing the new ball makes him a formidable bowler. He had a great start against Nepal, picking up two wickets in his first over. Although he didn't look his best in that game, he came back strong. Shaheen has played three international matches against India so far and while he was wicketless twice, he bowled a match-winning spell of three for 31 at the 2021 T20 World Cup. The performance of Shaheen on Saturday could very well define the outcome of the match.

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Now let's talk about the team news for both sides. India needs to make some tough decisions, especially in their pace attack. If they decide to include Shardul Thakur to strengthen the batting lineup, it would leave just two spots for front-line seamers, assuming that Kuldeep Yadav is a certainty. In that case, bumrah and Mohamed Siraj are likely to get the nod ahead of Mohamed Shami and Prasid Krishna. It will be interesting to see what combination they go with. On the other hand, pakistan has announced that they will field an unchanged 11. They seem to be confident in the team that won their previous match.

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Let's briefly talk about the pitch and conditions. The match will be played on a fresh pitch and if it behaves anything like the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh one, the batsman will have a tough time. The pitch is expected to assist both seamers and spinners. However, there's a forecast of rain from early morning till mid-afternoon, potentially delaying the match's start.

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Lastly, let's take a look at some interesting stats and trivia. Virat Kohli is just 102 runs away from reaching 13,000 ODI runs. If he manages to achieve this milestone on Saturday, he will become the fifth batter to reach this feat and break Sachin Tendulkar's record of being the fastest to that milestone. Baba Azam, the Pakistani captain, has 19 ODI hundreds. If he scores one more, he will equal Saeed Anwar's record for the most ODI hundreds for Pakistan. Another Pakistani player to keep an eye on is Imam Ul Haq, who has a chance to become the second fastest player to reach 3,000 ODI runs. Currently he has 28, 89 runs in 63 innings. Shea Hope and Fakhar Zaman are the joint second fastest reaching the milestone in 67 innings. And finally, ravindra Jadaja needs six more wickets to become the seventh Indian player to take 200 ODI wickets. If he achieves this, he will also be the first Indian player since Kapil Dev to complete the double of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets in ODIs. So there you have it an exciting India vs Pakistan match awaits us at the 2023 Asia Cup. With so many key players, intriguing team dynamics and historical rivalries at play, this is surely one match you don't want to miss. Let's hope the rain stays away and we can witness an epic battle between these two cricketing giants.

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So here's the big news in the world of cricket Viacom 18 has secured the media rights, both digital and television, for Indian cricket on a global scale and guess how much they paid? A whopping INR 5,963 crore, which is approximately USD 720 million. This deal is for the period of 2023 to 2028, and it covers all cricket matches organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in the country, be it international or domestic, except for the Indian Premier League. Viacom 18 faced tough competition from Disney, star and Sony in an e-Auction conducted by the BCCI, but they emerged victorious by bidding the highest amount in both digital and television categories. They bid INR 3,101 crore for digital rights and another INR 28,62 crore for television rights. However, the bids from Disney, star and Sony have not been confirmed yet. It's worth noting that Viacom 18 already owns the digital rights for the IPL, as well as both digital and TV rights for the women's Premier League, wpl. With this latest deal, the per-match value comes to around INR 67.75 crore, which is about 12.92% higher than what Star India paid in the previous cycle. And speaking of the previous cycle, disney Star had won the Worldwide Rights for India's Games for INR 6,138 crore. But what about bilateral cricket? Well, the value of these rights seems to be shrinking compared to the massive sums being spent on IPL rights. Last year, the IPL secured the second highest per-match value globally, just behind the NFL. It sold its five-year rights for a mind-boggling INR 48,390.5 crore Quite impressive. So that's the latest update on the BCCCI media rights. Viacom 18 has come out on top, but let's see how the cricketing landscape evolves over the next few years with these new deals in place. Exciting times ahead for Indian cricket fans.

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So here is some news from Australia's BBL. Nicholas Poran and Mohamed Rizwan, two talented players, have decided to withdraw from the BBL draft. Poran was expected to be in high demand given his potential availability until the finals, but his commitments with the West Indies national team proved to be a hindrance. Rizwan, on the other hand, has been occupied with Pakistan's Test Matches against Australia, which clashed with the BBL schedule. In some more unfortunate news, dane Van Niekirk won't be joining the WBBL due to a fractured thumb. Despite not playing in the WBBL last year, she has had previous stints with Melbourne Renegades, sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers. Unfortunately, her injury means she won't be able to participate this time.

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On a brighter note, former Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle has made a move back to Melbourne Renegades after spending six seasons with Adelaide Strikers. With an experienced squad including Nathan Lyon and Adam Zamper, renegades aims to add more depth and knowledge to their team. Additionally, mark Steckarty, a talented bowler from Queensland and Australia A, has joined Melbourne Stars in the BBL after a decade with Brisbane Heat. Steckarty's arrival adds strength to the stars bowling lineup, alongside Scott Bolland and Joel Parris. So there you have it A mix of withdrawals, signings and exciting developments in the BBL and WBBL. It's going to be an interesting season. So there's some exciting news for Australian cricket fans.

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Tim David has been added to Australia's ODI squad in South Africa. Now, this is significant because it could mean that he'll make his ODI debut soon. David really made a statement in the first T20i against South Africa, smashing 64 off just 28 balls Impressive right. Interestingly, david was actually supposed to play for the Trinbego Knight Riders in the CPL after the T20 series, but it seems that things have taken a different turn for him. He hasn't played many List A matches in his career only 16, to be precise. But here's the kicker His batting average is a whopping 82.77, with a strike rate of 123.14. Not too shabby at all.

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Now, while it's unlikely that David will be a part of Australia's ODI World Cup plans at this stage, he's being given an opportunity to show his skills in the 50 over format Selected. Tony Doadmaid sees him as an extra power option in the later stages of an innings. And boy did David show his power in that T20i match, smashing a crucial partnership of 97 runs with Captain Mitchell Marsh. And you know what's really great about David he's level headed and knows his role in T20 cricket. He may not always be consistent, but when he's on form he can win matches for Australia. That's why he's such an asset to Australian cricket.

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Unfortunately, australia will be missing some key players for the ODI series in South Africa. Glenn Maxwell, who was going to leave anyway for the birth of his first child, had to leave early due to an ankle injury. Stephen Smith is still recovering from a wrist problem and Mitchell Stark is out with a groin injury. However, captain Pat Cummins will join the squad in South Africa, although it's unlikely he'll play before the series in India at the end of the month. So let's keep an eye on Tim David and see how he performs in his potential ODI debut for Australia.

Caroline: 14:42

On this episode, we discussed various opinions on India's team selection and strategies ahead of their much anticipated clash against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, the ongoing rivalry and uncertainty surrounding key players, fitness in the 2023 Asia Cup, viacom 18's major media rights win for Indian cricket, recent updates on player withdrawals and returns in the BBL and WBBL, and Tim David's impressive performance earning him a spot in Australia's ODI squad for South Africa as a middle order option. Thank you for joining us today on Talk Before Wicked, the podcast dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the latest cricket news. We appreciate your time and look forward to continuing our engaging discussions in our next episode. Don't forget to subscribe and be part of our passionate cricket loving community.