The last time India and Pakistan had faced each-other it was Champions Trophy final in 2017.
Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma (L) talks with Pakistan cricket captain Sarfraz Ahmed (R) before starting an Asia Cup press conference at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on September 14, 2018. (Photo: AFP)
Indian cricket team’s stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma on Friday addressed the media ahead of upcoming Asia Cup 2018 along with the captains of other nations — Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
Asia Cup 2018 will be played in the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to media, Rohit Sharma said his team was very excited and they were looking forward to the challenge ahead.
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“We are very happy to be back here. Of late we have played some great cricket and I hope this turns out to be a great learning opportunity ahead of the World Cup,” Rohit Sharma said.
India will kick-start their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong on September 18, a day before taking on arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19 after a gap of 15 months. The last time India and Pakistan had faced each other it was Champions Trophy final in 2017.
When asked about the marquee clash ahead, Rohit Sharma said, “I am sure everyone is looking forward to it, but we will just focus on the match at hand,” adding, “It is always exciting to play Pakistan, they have been great lately and have played very good cricket.”
India have been the most successful team in the Asia Cup, they are also the defending champions of the forthcoming tournament. When Rohit Sharma was quipped what makes his side favourites to win the tournament, he said, “Every team will be eyeing the title and every team has its own strengths. It is going to be a competitive tournament.”
“First time I am captaining a full tour and I am very excited,” Rohit Sharma added.
India Squad : Rohit Sharma(C), Shikhar Dhawan (VC), KL Rahul, AT Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Kartik, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed.
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Shadab Khan, Muhammad Nawaz, Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Afridi
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