Asia Cup 2023: Super 4 – IND vs PAK Preview – Rivalry continues

The third match of the Super Four clash in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 will see two arch-rivals, Pakistan and India take on each other at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Their last encounter was called off due to rain and hence, both teams will be eager to get the job done this time around to take the psychological advantage ahead of the business end of the tournament.

The rivalry has become even more intense in modern times as PCB has taken multiple shots at BCCI secretary Jay Shah, also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), regarding multiple decisions of his regarding the continental cup. He too retaliated with a statement but the tug of war is far from over. Hence, the match holds a lot of significant value and the players are well-known about that.

When it comes to India, KL Rahul is expected to make his return after a long hiatus and it will be interesting to see the cricketer he replaces. Ishan Kishan is in incredible form at the moment and the team management may hesitate to drop someone who is currently scoring with ease. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah too will be making his return after a small break. Both openers are in form as well but the same cannot be said about the pace unit. Mohammed Siraj did pick up three wickets in the last match but there’s a lot of room for improvement.

When it comes to Pakistan, their pacers have been remarkable so far. Haris Rauf picked up four wickets against Bangladesh while Naseem picked three. Shaheen once again picked up a wicket with the new ball. With the bat, Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan did a commendable job and will be confident of their chances against India.

Pitch Conditions:

There are chances of rain interference and overall a cloudy sky is expected. DLS can come into play and thus, bowling first will be ideal. Anything over 280 runs will be perfect in the first innings. There is also a reserve day in case the match is interrupted on the original day.

Venue details: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Last ODI match at the venue: Pakistan vs Afghanistan, 2023 | Result: Pakistan won by 59 runs

Probable playing XI for Pakistan vs India clash:

Pakistan

Pakistan might bring in Mohammad Nawaz against India. Faheem Ashraf is likely to get dropped as the surface in Sri Lanka might assist the spinners. Other than that, Pakistan are likely to play the same combination.

Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

India

Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul are expected to return to the playing XI with Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Shami likely to get dropped.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj