The Asia Cup 2023 is set for a thrilling encounter as India faces Pakistan in Kandy this Saturday. This match marks their first ODI meeting since the 2019 World Cup. Pakistan heads into this clash with high spirits following their dominant 238-run victory over Nepal. India, on the other hand, arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, aiming for a strong start to the tournament.
The inclusion of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul has provided a much-needed boost to the Indian team, bolstering their lineup for the upcoming clash against Pakistan. Although Rahul won’t be available for the group stage, his return adds depth to India’s star-studded batting order.
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In recent years, India has faced significant challenges against Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf in T20Is. The Indian batting order often struggled, but masterful performances from players like Virat Kohli saved the day. Now, in the ODI format, India is preparing to tackle this formidable pace attack.
During a press conference ahead of the Asia Cup clash, Rohit Sharma humorously responded to questions about India’s preparations to face Pakistan’s pace trio.
“Dekhiye, net me hamaare paas Shaheen, Naseem, Rauf toh hai nahi! (Look, we don’t have Shaheen, Naseem, or Rauf with us in the nets). We’ll practice with the bowlers we have available. We have quite a few quality bowlers, all performing well and playing together. Yes, all three are performing brilliantly too,” Rohit Sharma said.
“Look, Pakistan has always had quality bowlers. And we’ve been playing for many years now, so we have some idea about how they bowl, where do they usually like to bowl and all that. We have to capitalize on our experience,” Rohit Sharma added.
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Regarding Ishan Kishan’s batting position, there was no official confirmation from Rohit during the pre-match press conference. However, it is expected that Ishan will fill KL Rahul’s role in the XI, despite primarily opening in recent ODIs. The young wicketkeeper-batsman delivered impressive performances in the ODI series against West Indies earlier this year, scoring three consecutive half-centuries.
