IND vs PAK: Hopefully Pakistan Do Too: Rahul Dravid Expresses Desire To Play Against Pakistan In Asia Cup Final

India head coach Rahul Dravid has said that he is looking forward to playing against Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 final. Both India and Pakistan along with Nepal are in Group A for the upcoming edition.

The schedule for the competition was finally announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Wednesday (July 19). The sixteenth edition of the continental championship is scheduled to begin on August 30th while the final will take place on September 17th. Pakistan and Nepal will be up against each other in the tournament-opener.

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On the other hand, India will open their campaign against Pakistan on September 2nd in Kandy. There is a chance that India and Pakistan might play as many as three games against each other. But for that to happen, both the teams will have to advance to the Super 4 and then the final.

Also Read: IND vs WI Head to Head Records In Tests – 2nd Test, India Tour Of West Indies 2023

Rahul Dravid on India-Pakistan clash in Asia Cup 2023:

The prospect of India and Pakistan playing as many as three games against each other in less than a month has caused quite a buzz in the cricket fraternity. And Rahul Dravid is also looking forward to playing against Pakistan in the final of the continental championship. At the same time, Rahul Dravid stated that he wants to focus on the group stage first.

“The schedule is out. You have to qualify for the Super Fours to play Pakistan three times. One step at a time, I don’t believe in counting my chickens too much,” Dravid told reporters in a video posted by the BCCI.

“I know we are going to play Pakistan and Nepal in the first two games, so we need to focus on that. We need to win those games and see where the tournament goes. If we get the opportunity to play them three times, it’s fantastic. That would mean we reach the final of the tournament and hopefully, Pakistan do too.

“It would be a great contest, and we certainly want to play right up to the final and win it. But we need to take the first two steps to do that,” added Rahul Dravid.

? With the #AsiaCup2023 fixtures announced, here’s what #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid said ? pic.twitter.com/ycEWukD5zW

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 19, 2023

The upcoming game will be the first meeting between India and Pakistan since last year’s clash in the T20 World Cup. India had won the game in a thrilling manner and would be looking to win the upcoming contest too. After the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan are also set to play against each other at least once in the ICC World Cup.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: ‘Pakistan Can Beat India Anywhere’ – Waqar Younis’ Colossal Claim On India vs Pakistan Rivalry