01 September,2023 08:01 PM IST | Pallekele | mid-day online correspondent
Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam (Pic: ANI)
It will be a sight to savour when Virat Kohli's outrageous strokes are on display against Haris Rauf while Rohit Sharma hits Shaheen Shah Afridi's banana inswingers out of the park during India's 'battle royale' against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023, which will be more than just an ODI World Cup dress rehearsal.
The Asia Cup has returned to the 50-over format to facilitate an ideal match preparation for five of the six participating teams but for organisers and the fans India versus Pakistan is not just another game, it is 'The Match'. However, with steady rain predicted in the hilly Kandy region on Saturday, an anti-climax to a mouth-watering clash can't be ruled out.
The Indian team, which is yet to fit-in all the jigsaw puzzles will be hoping that their 'holy trinity' of skipper Rohit, peerless Kohli and his heir apparent Shubman Gill is ready to fight fire with fire against Shaheen, Rauf and the feisty Naseem Shah.
Since the 2019 World Cup, the 'Green Brigade' has played just 29 ODIs, whereas India have played 57 matches in the same period.
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Pakistan have played 12 of those 29 matches this year as well. While their top three consisting captain Babar Azam (689 runs), Fakhar Zaman (593 runs) and Imam-ul-Haq (361 runs) have fired more often than not this year, there is an issue from No. 4 to No. 6.
Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Time: 3 PM IST
Venue: Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Captain: Virat Kohli
Vice-captain: Babar Azam
Wicketkeeper: Ishan Kishan
All-rounders: Shadab Khan
Batsmen: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed
Bowlers: Mohd. Siraj, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Jasprit Bumrah
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve)
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf
The Pallekele pitch can be tricky that batters could find hard to bat on. If it rains, the outfield could be slower than normal and scoring runs will be even harder. It is highly likely that the team who wins the toss will opt to bat second.
