The much-awaited India versus Pakistan encounter in the Asia Cup 2023 is all set to be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday (September 2).
Pakistan’s preparation seems to be on track ahead of the marquee clash. The Men in Green registered a 3-0 clean sweep over Afghanistan in an ODI series recently and opened their Asia Cup campaign with a crushing 238-run victory over Nepal earlier this week.
On the other hand, Team India took part in a five-day preparatory camp in Alur before arriving in Sri Lanka for the continental tournament.
Moreover, India's performance in ODIs this year has been a mix of highs and lows. They secured victories against Sri Lanka and New Zealand at home, but suffered a series loss at the hands of Australia.
While the Men in Blue registered a 2-1 victory over West Indies in a three-match ODI series in July-August, their experiments with the playing XI drew significant flak on social media from fans and experts alike.
Ahead of the high-voltage India versus Pakistan game, former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has also slammed the India team management for tinkering too much with the playing XI.
“India might be a little rusty, they are still searching for the right combination. The one big reason for that is even in the World Cup year, they haven't succeeded in producing a settled unit. I'm actually shocked that they are tinkering unnecessarily with a winning combination, they experiment with batting order and the focus moves to something else,” said Ramiz on his official YouTube channel.
The former PCB chief also opined that Pakistan hold an advantage over India this time around as they have a more settled unit.
“If you ask anyone about Pakistan's playing XI, he will tell you without much of a thought. But if you ask someone about India's XI, there are still doubts. And this might benefit Pakistan,” he added.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides in ODI cricket since the 2019 World Cup. The arch-rivals have faced each other four times in T20Is over the last couple of years, with both teams winning two games each.
