Last Update on: September 2nd, 2023 at 06:52 am
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PAK vs IND Match Preview– Asia Cup 2023, Match 3. The PAK vs IND Asia Cup 2023 match will be played in Pallekele (Kandy) Sri Lanka on September 2, 2023. The match starts at 3 pm IST. This is the second Group A game and the third match overall. India kicked off their campaign against the Men in Green.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be played from August 30 to September 13. Four matches will be played in Pakistan while nine matches including the final will be played in Sri Lanka.
The Asia Cup serves as an ideal preparation for the major Asian teams ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are previous winners with the Lankans being the defending champions of the tournament. It will be played in the 50-over format with this being the World Cup year.
India will be led by Rohit Sharma while Babar Azam will lead Pakistan. India won the Asia Cup title under Rohit Sharma in 2018. Meanwhile, Babar is yet to win a major title as Pakistan captain. The two teams have played some intense cricket in the last two years.
The PAK vs IND Asia Cup match might be interrupted by rain. There is an 90 percent chance of rain as per reliable weather channels. As per the weather report for Saturday (September 2), there is a chance of rain from 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM. Although the India vs Pakistan match will begin at 3:00 PM, heavy rain could spoil the party. There are also high chances of rain from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. AccuWeather has also predicted another spell of showers from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
PAK vs IND Match Preview– Asia Cup 2023, Match 3
Pakistan
Pakistan are heading into the Asia Cup as the number one-ranked ODI side in the latest ICC rankings. They recently clean-swept Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series. They defeated Nepal in a one-side encounter by a mammoth 238-run margin.
Pakistan have announced its Asia Cup 2023 squad with Babar Azam leading the side. The side has a good mix of youth and experience. Babar along with Fakhar Zaman, Imam-Ul-Haq, and Mohammad Rizwan form the batting core. Shahadab Khan has recently proved his worth as an all-rounder against Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s bowling attack is what sets them apart from the other teams in the Asia Cup. With this bowling attack, they certainly will have the edge over the other teams. Their batters need to give their bowlers a good total to set up the game for the side.
The trio of Shaheen, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf up against the Indian batters will be a mouth-watering encounter. Shaheen especially has been lethal with the new ball against the Indian batters and this contest particularly will decide the end result. If the rain gods show mercy we have a riveting contest on our hands.
Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim
India
The BCCI has announced a full-strength Indian team with Rohit Sharma back as captain. Virat Kohli too is back to strengthen the batting lineup. Shreyas Iyer is back in the middle-order at number four.
Meanwhile, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid on August 29 confirmed that KL Rahul will be unavailable for the first two games as he will not travel with the squad to Sri Lanka. His participation in the Super 4 stage will be decided on September 4. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the all-rounders with Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan providing flexibility to the batting lineup.
The real battle for the Indian batting lineup will be against the three Pakistan pacers Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf. Since 2021, they have tormented the Indian batters. Barring Virat Kohli no other Indian batter has been able to tackle them in recent times.
India’s bowling too have gained weight with the return of Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Shami and Mohd Siraj are also there in the bowling lineup as is Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur. Like Bumrah, Prasidh is back in the squad after a long injury layoff Kuldeep Yadav is the specialist spinner in the side chosen over Yuzvendra Chahal.
India Squad for Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna
Reserve player: Sanju Samson
