Former India coach Ravi Shastri has termed India as favorites going into their upcoming Asia Cup 2023 match against Pakistan which will be played on September 2nd in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The Asia Cup 2023 has already started with a bang as hosts Pakistan defeated Nepal by a huge margin in Multan in the tournament opener and then Sri Lanka got the better of Bangladesh in Pallekele in the next match.
While terming India the favorites to win, Shastri said that Pakistan was a much improved side, and had "narrowed the gap" with India, but the strength of India's line-up and an experienced captain in Rohit Sharma gave them the advantage.
"I would say India starts as favorites. This is their strongest team since 2011, this mix of players. And a seasoned captain, who understands the terrain better than most.
Having said that, Pakistan has narrowed the gap. Seven-eight years [ago], there was a gap if you looked at the strength of both teams and man-to-man. But Pakistan has narrowed it down. They are a very good side, so you have to be on top of your game,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
Shastri believes that a player’s attitude, rather than the form, is what truly distinguishes players in a high-stakes, high-pressure match like India vs. Pakistan.
"That's what's important, keeping calm and treating it as just another game. And not overhype it in your mind that makes you think differently. Your game has to be the same as it would be in any other game. But because of that subconscious pressure, it's the mentally tough guys who normally get it right.
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When you look at the mix of players on either side, they are fabulous. And it will be a spectacle. In an India-Pakistan game, it is about who handles pressure better, who is calmer, whose thought process is clear. Those are the guys who will come through on those big occasions,” he added.
"And never go by form before an India-Pakistan game, because the tough-minded, mentally strong guys might not have done much six months back, but come the India-Pakistan game, they will come [to the fore]. They know the importance of that game, they know where it can catapult them if they do well. Their juices will be fired up,” he added.
Shastri also reserved praise for Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who starred with 151 to his name in the win over Nepal.
"He [Babar] converts those 30s and 40s starts into hundreds. And it is so important. We keep saying to go out there and face several balls, but if one of your top three gets a hundred, you get 300-plus.
Fielding will be crucial [too], you'll have to see which team fields better. Sri Lanka won the last Asia Cup on [the back of their] fielding. They've long been the best fielding side in the subcontinent, right from 1996. They were outstanding in the last Asia Cup. They are holders, let's not forget, so don't discount them in Sri Lankan conditions. If India's fielding raises their bar, then they'll be an even stronger side,” Shastri signed off.
This will be the first time India and Pakistan clash after the T20 World Cup encounter in Melbourne last year.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
