The most awaited game of Asia Cup 2018 is here as arch-rivals India, the defending champions, are all set to take on Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The India-Pakistan rivalry is old and since the bilateral series of 2012 the two teams have only met at multi-team events. The match is all set to recharge the India-Pakistan rivalry as the two big Asian giants face each other in the group stage match.
It has been over a year since India and Pakistan last played against each other. The last time the two sides met was the final clash of Champions Trophy 2017 in England.
Also Read | Asia Cup 2018: Unimpressive India beat spirited Hong Kong by 26 runs
Both sides have beat Hong Kong in the group stage in Asia Cup. While Pakistan outplayed them by eight wickets, India had to struggle to win against a spirited Hong Kong by 26 runs.
Team India had a tough time against Hong Kong, and within 24 hours they have to face the giants.
As Virat Kohli is not the part of Asia Cup and Rohit Sharma is leading the team blue, all eyes will be on him to perform in this high-voltage clash. Since it’s India vs Pakistan, the men in blue will be looking for some changes. Seamer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya can make a comeback in today’s match.
On the other side, Pakistan team strong after their bowlers and batsmen outplayed Hong Kong in the last match. Pakistan Captian Sarfraz Ahmed will be relying on the fast bowlers to trouble the Indian batsmen.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Dinesh Karthik, Khaleel Ahmed.
Pakistan: 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