India and Pakistan will play out the latest instalment of their fierce rivalry in the World Cup on Sunday.

Both sides have made 100% starts to the competition, with Babar Azam's men aiming to beat their adversaries for the first time in 50-over World Cup history.

We select our combined XI from the two teams.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma's hundred against Afghanistan on Wednesday saw him become the most prolific six-hitter in international cricket history.

The India skipper is one of 15 players to score 10,000 one-day international runs and also holds the record for the biggest individual score in the format's history (264). 

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is back from injury to feature on Saturday so takes his place in this theoretical XI.

The 24-year-old boasts a phenomenal average of 66.1 in ODI cricket and has compiled two centuries and three half-centuries in his last seven innings. 

Virat Kohli

Arguably the greatest one-day batter ever, Virat Kohli is selected on iconic status alone.

The 34-year-old is the king of the run chase — averaging 64.78 when batting second — and has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-scorer in ODI and T20 World Cups combined. 

Babar Azam

Babar Azam usually bats at No3 for Pakistan but still demands selection a spot down.

Of those to have played more than 10 ODIs, he is the country's only ever batter to average over 50 in this format. 

Mohammad Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan edges out KL Rahul as wicket-keeper purely due to volume of runs.

Pakistan's gloveman scored 131* in his side's record chase against Sri Lanka on Tuesday and had scored 44 or more in five of his six previous innings.

Hardik Pandya

The quality of the batting above him means Hardik Pandya can concentrate on having a good time not a long time.

His career strike rate of 110.35 is the second-best of any Indian to play more than six ODIs — and he is a useful bowler, too. 

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best all-round cricketers of the 21st century, ranking fourth for wickets and 14th for runs of all India players since 2000.

His 3-28 against Australia last weekend was a reminder of his class.

Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav's re-emergence is one of the stories of 2023.

Having drifted away from the international scene, he has taken more wickets than anybody at this tournament in this calendar year and provides mystery spin.

Shaheen Afridi

Aged 19, Shaheen Afridi took 16 wickets in five appearances at the 2019 World Cup at a better average or strike rate than anybody else in the top 10.

He has cemented himself as one of the best in the business since, taking at least one wicket in 19 consecutive ODIs. 

Jasprit Bumrah

World No1 in the ICC rankings for much of the period between 2019 and 2022, Jasprit Bumrah has only slipped down the list because of injuries.

Generating incredible pace from a short run-up, the 29-year-old is perhaps the best quick bowler going across all formats and conditions.

Haris Rauf

Only three players at the World Cup have taken more wickets than Haris Rauf since the start of 2022 — and he has a better strike rate than any of them.

The 29-year-old has taken 28 wickets in his last 12 ODIs.