Asia Cup 2023 Showdown: Pakistan’s first encounter of the tournament was a resounding success, so their fans must be looking forward to their second group stage match against India. This will be India’s first match of the season, taking place on Saturday, September 2 in Kandy against their archrivals.
Asia Cup 2023 Showdown: India vs. Pakistan
Pakistan began their season with a resounding victory over Nepal, defeating them by 238 runs. The top performers for Pakistan were captain Babar Azam and batsman Iftikar Ahmed. Iftikar scored 109 runs off 71 deliveries, while Babar scored a brilliant 151 off 131 balls. Sompal Kami of Nepal took two wickets and attempted to put Pakistan under duress, but to no avail. Pakistan scored 342 runs in 50 overs, while Nepal was limited to 104 runs in 23.4 overs. Shadab Khan collected four dismissals for his team.
When India takes on the ODI team currently ranked first by the ICC in Kandy, the match promises to be a nail-biter. India have played a fair amount of One-Day Internationals (ODIs) this year, but their recent team composition (and consequently performance) has been shaky. With the return of key players such as Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer from lengthy injury absences, the team does appear formidable on paper.
The issue remains, however, as to whether the rising star Tilak Varma will join Suryakumar Yadav in the starting lineup. While Sanju Samson, an equally-capable wicketkeeper-batsman, lingers in the ranks. Sanju has a higher batting average in this format than Yadav, and Tilak Varma has yet to make his India debut.
It will be very intriguing to see which players head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma select to start against Pakistan, given that they have recently been criticised for tinkering and shuffling the playing elevens.
The rivalry between these two nations dates back a very long time. India playing Pakistan has always been a major event, as the high-stakes matches transcend the cricket pitch and become battles of prestige.
This year’s tournament is being conducted in a hybrid format in Pakistan and Sri Lanka due to restrictions on a few teams playing in certain countries.
When will India take on Pakistan? Times in IST format
The Asia Cup match between IND and PAK will take place on 2 September at 3:00 PM (IST).
India versus Pakistan, Free Live Streaming: Where can I watch India versus Pakistan on television?
The Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan will be broadcast on Star Sports Network.
Where to Watch India vs. Pakistan Live Streaming for Free: IND vs. PAK Free streaming video
The IND vs. PAK Asia Cup match will be streamed live on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
India vs. Pakistan, Free Live Streaming: Asia Cup Head-to-Head
India and Pakistan have met 17 times in the Asia Cup. India has won nine of the seventeen matches contested, while Pakistan has won six.
India vs Pakistan, Free Live Streaming: Squad Details, Probable XIs
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Travelling stand-by player: Sanju Samson
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj
Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (Captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.
Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (Captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf
