“Rain Disrupts India-Pakistan Clash in Asia Cup; Pakistan Starts Strong, India’s First Match”
A rain spell disappointed cricket fans as it disrupted the much-anticipated India-Pakistan match in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on Saturday. The match, which had promised an exciting contest between Pakistan’s pacers and India’s batters, was halted in the fourth over with India already scoring 15 runs.
Pakistan began their Asia Cup 2023 campaign on a high note with a massive 238-run victory over Nepal earlier in the week. In contrast, this was India’s first match in the tournament.
India won the toss and chose to bat first, with Captain Rohit Sharma emphasizing the need to embrace the challenge and situation despite the weather concerns. Sharma highlighted the team’s preparations, including a six-day camp in Bangalore, and welcomed several additions to the squad, including Shreyas and Bumrah’s return, Shardul’s presence, and Hardik Pandya’s inclusion, along with spinners Kuldeep and Jadeja.
Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, expressed his desire to bat first as well, citing the team’s familiarity with the playing conditions due to their recent cricket activities in the region.
In Asia Cup ODIs, India has an advantage with seven wins in 13 matches against Pakistan, while Pakistan has secured five victories, with one match ending in no result. Pakistan has also faced defeat in four of the last five encounters against India in the Asia Cup, with their last win dating back to 2014 in Mirpur.
The playing XI for both teams was as follows:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
