The D-Day is finally here. ICC ODI World Cup 2023 gets underway on Thursday (October 5) in Ahmedabad with the defending champions England taking on New Zealand. For the past few months, there has been good hype around the ODI World Cup, being held entirely in India. Former cricketers and experts of the game have been making some bold predictions and ex-English batter Michael Atherton has also joined the bandwagon and made a very big claim. Atherton feels Pakistan will beat India in the CWC '23 edition face-off.&nbsp;

India and Pakistan have met each other on seven occasions in the 50-over World Cup history&nbsp;since 1992. On every occasion, the Men in Blue have beaten their arch-rivals Pakistan, but Atherton feels Babar Azam &amp; Co. will beat Rohit Sharma's Team India in the 2023 edition.&nbsp;Speaking about the clash on Sky Sports, the former England captain stated that the Men in Green will go past India&nbsp;this time around and win their first match against their arch-rivals in World Cup history.

India will host Pakistan in match 12 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on October 14 (Saturday). Atherton said that the match&nbsp;will be the biggest match of this year's World Cup unless both sides lock horns in the final or semi-final.

"As my bold prediction, I'm saying that for the first time in a 50-over World Cup Pakistan will beat India. They have won zero out of seven over the years. It's going to be the biggest game of the tournament, unless they meet again in a semi-final or, could you imagine, the final. It is sure to be a packed house; it will be mayhem and maybe Pakistan will jump a surprise," said Atherton.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/odi-world-cup-2023-rohit-sharma-opens-up-on-team-indias-approach-says-not-thinking-too-much-about-642633">ODI World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma opens up on Team India's approach, says 'not thinking too much about...'</a>

Pakistan play their first game&nbsp;on Friday (October 6) in Hyderabad, versus the Netherlands. Meanwhile, India will open their campaign in CWC '23 on October 8 when they face Australia in Chennai.

India squad for CWC '23:&nbsp;Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav

Pakistan squad for CWC '23:&nbsp;Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali

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The D-Day is finally here. ICC ODI World Cup 2023 gets underway on Thursday (October 5) in Ahmedabad with the defending champions England taking on New Zealand. For the past few months, there has been good hype around the ODI World Cup, being held entirely in India.

The D-Day is finally here. ICC ODI World Cup 2023 gets underway on Thursday (October 5) in Ahmedabad with the defending champions England taking on New Zealand. For the past few months, there has been good hype around the ODI World Cup, being held entirely in India. Former cricketers and experts of the game have been making some bold predictions and ex-English batter Michael Atherton has also joined the bandwagon and made a very big claim. Atherton feels Pakistan will beat India in the CWC '23 edition face-off. India and Pakistan have met each other on seven occasions in the 50-over World Cup history since 1992. On every occasion, the Men in Blue have beaten their arch-rivals Pakistan, but Atherton feels Babar Azam & Co. will beat Rohit Sharma's Team India in the 2023 edition. Speaking about the clash on Sky Sports, the former England captain stated that the Men in Green will go past India this time around and win their first match against their arch-rivals in World Cup history. India will host Pakistan in match 12 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on October 14 (Saturday). Atherton said that the match will be the biggest match of this year's World Cup unless both sides lock horns in the final or semi-final. "As my bold prediction, I'm saying that for the first time in a 50-over World Cup Pakistan will beat India. They have won zero out of seven over the years. It's going to be the biggest game of the tournament, unless they meet again in a semi-final or, could you imagine, the final. It is sure to be a packed house; it will be mayhem and maybe Pakistan will jump a surprise," said Atherton. Also read: ODI World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma opens up on Team India's approach, says 'not thinking too much about...' Pakistan play their first game on Friday (October 6) in Hyderabad, versus the Netherlands. Meanwhile, India will open their campaign in CWC '23 on October 8 when they face Australia in Chennai. India squad for CWC '23: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav Pakistan squad for CWC '23: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Hasan Ali WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Pakistan will beat India for the first-time in ODI World Cup history: Former England batter makes BOLD claim

Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has urged India to remain strong amid the devastating COVID-19 second wave while extending his wishes to the Indian citizens. <o:p></o:p>

As the pandemic continues to grapple India, Azam took to social media platform Twitter as he said it was time to show solidarity and pray together while hoping the surge comes under control soon.<o:p></o:p>

"Prayers with the people of India in these catastrophic times. It's time to show solidarity and pray together. I also request all the people out there to strictly follow SOPs, as it's for our safety only. Together we can do it. #StayStrong," Babar Azam tweeted.

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Prayers with the people of India in these catastrophic times. It's time to show solidarity and pray together. I also request all the people out there to strictly follow SOPs, as it's for our safety only. Together we can do it. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayStrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StayStrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/YCLb13ITlO">pic.twitter.com/YCLb13ITlO</a>
— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) <a href="https://twitter.com/babarazam258/status/1386666421434847233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan cricket team is currently touring Zimbabwe. The Men in Green recently won the three-match T20I series, 2-1 and are now gearing up for a Test series.

<o:p></o:p>

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-to-go-ahead-as-scheduled-says-sourav-ganguly-380559" hreflang="en">IPL 2021 to go ahead as scheduled, says Sourav Ganguly</a>

Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 caseload and the death toll continue to hit record high with the nation reporting 3.5 million cases and 2,812 deaths on Sunday. Hospital services are overloaded with many running out of medical oxygen to treat critical patients.<o:p></o:p>

Sunday’s record surge pushed the caseload to over 17.3 million. Over 1.95 million have lost the battle against the virus.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kkrs-pat-cummins-donates-50000-to-pm-cares-fund-for-oxygen-supplies-urges-ipl-players-to-contribute-380530" hreflang="en">KKR's Pat Cummins donates $50,000 to PM Cares Fund for oxygen supplies, urges IPL players to contribute</a>

Earlier on Monday, Australian cricketer, currently in India for IPL, donated $50,000 to PM Cares Fund to aid India in its battle against the virus. The Kolkata Knight Riders bowler also urged his fellow IPL players to donate to the cause while saying IPL is an attempt to bring some joy to those locked down due to the virus.

Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has urged India to remain strong amid the devastating COVID-19 second wave while extending his wishes to the Indian citizens.

Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has urged India to remain strong amid the devastating COVID-19 second wave while extending his wishes to the Indian citizens. As the pandemic continues to grapple India, Azam took to social media platform Twitter as he said it was time to show solidarity and pray together while hoping the surge comes under control soon. "Prayers with the people of India in these catastrophic times. It's time to show solidarity and pray together. I also request all the people out there to strictly follow SOPs, as it's for our safety only. Together we can do it. #StayStrong," Babar Azam tweeted. Prayers with the people of India in these catastrophic times. It's time to show solidarity and pray together. I also request all the people out there to strictly follow SOPs, as it's for our safety only. Together we can do it. #StayStrong pic.twitter.com/YCLb13ITlO — Babar Azam (@babarazam258) April 26, 2021 × Pakistan cricket team is currently touring Zimbabwe. The Men in Green recently won the three-match T20I series, 2-1 and are now gearing up for a Test series. ALSO READ: IPL 2021 to go ahead as scheduled, says Sourav Ganguly Meanwhile, India’s COVID-19 caseload and the death toll continue to hit record high with the nation reporting 3.5 million cases and 2,812 deaths on Sunday. Hospital services are overloaded with many running out of medical oxygen to treat critical patients. Sunday’s record surge pushed the caseload to over 17.3 million. Over 1.95 million have lost the battle against the virus. ALSO READ: KKR's Pat Cummins donates $50,000 to PM Cares Fund for oxygen supplies, urges IPL players to contribute Earlier on Monday, Australian cricketer, currently in India for IPL, donated $50,000 to PM Cares Fund to aid India in its battle against the virus. The Kolkata Knight Riders bowler also urged his fellow IPL players to donate to the cause while saying IPL is an attempt to bring some joy to those locked down due to the virus.

Pakistan's Babar Azam tweets emotional message for India amid COVID-19 surge

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Pakistan will beat India for the first-time in ODI World Cup history: Former England batter makes BOLD claim

Pakistan's Babar Azam tweets emotional message for India amid COVID-19 surge