In the eagerly awaited Asia Cup 2023 showdown between India and Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, India emerged victorious in the toss and opted to open the batting.
Pakistan has maintained the same lineup that secured a resounding 238-run victory over Nepal last Wednesday.
“We would have batted first, but the toss is not ours. We have played a lot of cricket here, so we know the conditions. Top teams are playing so Asia Cup is good. We’ll try to do our best. It’s a high-intensity match, we’ll try to be calm and composed,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said at the toss.
Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said: “There is a bit of weather around, but can’t think much about it. You have to play good cricket, you need to embrace the challenge, embrace the situation. We had some time off after the West Indies series. Everyone was up for those drills and challenges in Bangalore. Let’s see what we can achieve in this tournament.”
Pakistan has suffered defeats in four of their last five encounters against India in the Asia Cup. Their most recent triumph over India dates back to the 2014 match in Mirpur, where Shahid Afridi’s remarkable performance, including hitting two consecutive sixes against Ravichandran Ashwin in the final over, secured Pakistan’s victory.
The Asia Cup 2023 is scheduled in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17. Pakistan will host four matches, while Sri Lanka will host nine games, including the final.
Pakistan is placed in Group A alongside Nepal and India, while Group B consists of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2023.
Here are the lineups for the opening match:
India:
- Captain: Rohit Sharma
- Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan:
- Captain: Babar Azam
- Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
