Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni and Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik had a very jovial meeting at the ICC Academy in Dubai, where the two teams started their preparation for the upcoming 2018 Asia Cup. Shoaib walked over to the Indian camp and greeted Dhoni warmly as the two veterans shared a few laughs.
Rohit Sharma, who will be leading the Indian squad in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, led nine members of the Indian team to Dubai, with the rest of the players, who were tired after the grueling Test series in England will be joining Team India on September 16 after a two-day break.
On Friday, Dhoni along with Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Rohit, had a training session to acclimatize to the conditions in Dubai. Here is the video of the meeting of Malik and Dhoni:
#WATCH: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik meet during practice in Dubai ahead of #AsiaCup2018. India and Pakistan to play each other on September 19. pic.twitter.com/KGchi5qilJ
— ANI (@ANI) September 14, 2018
India, Pakistan and Hong Kong (qualifier), have been placed in group A, while Group B comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 and two teams will then play the final on 28 September in Dubai.
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India will play their tournament opener against Hong Kong on September 18 in Dubai and then play arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue the next day. Asia Cup will be played the 50-overs format in this edition to allow teams an opportunity to prepare for the 50-over ICC World Cup in England and Wales next year. However, the 2016 edition of the Asia Cup was a Twenty20 affair to allow teams an opportunity to prepare for the World T20 which occurred just after that tournament.
The boys are back in action. Time for the #AsiaCup to get underway here in Dubai. Snapshots from #TeamIndia's practice session on Day 1 pic.twitter.com/alrBbzdaAb
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 14, 2018
Dhoni will be playing a crucial role for India in the tournament key for India, not only for his experience but also for his batting, which has drawn some serious criticism in the recent past. Despite the fact that he is not be bothered about proving anything to anyone, but if Team India is dreaming of defending their Asia Cup title.
Virender Sehwag too backed the former captain to be India’s No.1 keeper till the next World Cup. “In my personal opinion, MS Dhoni should continue till the 2019 World Cup.”
Pakistan team training and practice session underway at the ICC Academy, Dubai pic.twitter.com/NNZ4smke1U
— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) September 14, 2018
However, Malik got a support from the former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman, who feels that the all-rounder will be a real threat in the multi-nation tournament. He said, “Shoaib Malik is someone who would look to play the anchor role because he has got the ability to rotate the strike, play down the ground, taking easy singles. But at the same time when he presses the accelerator, he can play the big shots and he has got an abundance of experience and he is a champion as far as the white ball is concerned.”
