India and Pakistan on Friday (September 1) geared up for the much-awaited clash between the arch-rivals in the Asia Cup 2023, which will be played on Saturday in Kandy. This will be the first ODI between both nations in four years, when India defeated Pakistan in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
World no.1 ODI team, Pakistan, are coming into the match high on confidence after thrashing Nepal by 238 runs in the first match of the tournament, while India have prepared hard coming into the tournament despite lack of game time recently for some of the players who were rested or injured.
All eyes will be on Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer as they play their first ODI since recovering from their injuries, while KL Rahul is unavailable for this game but is expected to return at a later stage.
Pakistan have named an unchanged XI for the game, reflecting the confidence in the group. India will name their team at the toss, as confirmed by Rohit Sharma, who said there are no injury worries.
On the eve of the high-intensity clash, both teams trained together under lights at Pallekele. This also gave players on both sides a chance to mingle with each other and exchange pleasantries.
Virat Kohli hugged speedster Haris Rauf, and had a light-hearted chat with Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan, while Rohit Sharma caught up with his counterpart Babar Azam and Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj too was seen discussing bowling tactics in the harsh and humid conditions with Haris Rauf.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared a video clip of the players meeting each other on X, previously Twitter.
