COLOMBO - Pakistan and India are set to take on each other in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Four round blockbuster match at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo today (Sunday). Pakistan showcased a good batting and bowling show against Nepal and India. Pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf executed a magnificent show against both teams. Later, they also showcaseda good performance against Bangladesh. Their batsmen like Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed gave a stupendous performance against Nepal and Bangladesh. However, they did not get to bat against India, which is a mightier team than both former teams.
India is led by Rohit Sharma in Asia Cup 2023. India was part of Group A in the first round where they crushed Nepal by 10 wickets in one encounter. Their match against Pakistan was washed out due to rain. For India, batsmen have done a fabulous job in the Asia Cup 2023 so far. Batters like Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan showcased marvelous performances against Pakistan.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill impressed against Nepal. However, Indian bowlers have not managed to impress with their performance. They highly failed to restrict Nepal to a low total. Nepal managed to set up a respectable total of 230-10 against a mighty team like India.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Babar Azam said: “We aren’t frustrated about the weather because it is not in our control. The forecast said it will rain all four days, but the way the sun is shining right now suggests otherwise. We are trying to utilise all the days we get.” On the threat posed by Pakistan’s quicks, Shubman Gill said: “They are very different fast bowlers and they have their own specialties. Shaheen gets the ball to swing a lot. Naseem is all about pace and likes help from the wicket. They present different challenges in different conditions.”
PAKISTAN’S PLAYING XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
INDIA (probables): Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.