India Vs Pakistan: The fans are eagerly waiting for the mouth watering clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. Both the teams will lock horns in Kandy in Sri Lanka on Saturday. This will be the first 50-over clash between the Asian giants after the 2019 ICC World Cup in England. While India is set to kickoff their campaign with this game, Pakistan are entering into the contest after a victory against Nepal in the tournament opener.
Ahead of the match, the players of the two teams met each other at the pre-match training session at Pallekele Stadium on Friday. In the video, Pakistan captain Babar Azam can be seen having a lighthearted conversation with his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma. Babar asked Rohit about his family, asking if his wife and daughter are accompanying him for the tournament. In reply, the Indian skipper stated that his daughter, Samaira, had started going to school and that’s why couldn’t come along. “Kisiko toh rehna padega ghar pe,” Sharma said.
Meanwhile, star Indian batter Virat Kohli also met Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf. As Rauf meets Kohli, he recalls the sixes hit by Kohli against him in last year's T20 World Cup in Australia to take India over the line. In the video, Haris could be heard saying, “Jidhar se guzarta hu na, Kohli-Kohli hota hai (Wherever I pass from, people say Kohli-Kohli).”
The Indian team who are the seven-time champions will be locking horns with Pakistan in their first match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Saturday. The Men in Blue under the leadership of Rohit Sharma will be looking to outclass the Babar Azam-led side who is coming to play against India after registering a solid 238-run win over Nepal in the tournament opener.
Star India batter KL Rahul will not be available for the first two games of the Asia Cup as he is still recuperating from the niggle. Apart from him, all the Indian players are fit and a nail-biting thriller is expected between the two sides. Since the 2019 ODI World Cup in June at Old Trafford, the two sides have not played against each other in an ODI game. Team India have emerged victorious in their three ODIs against the Men in Green, and they would like to make it four wins in a row.