The IndoPak rivalry V2.0 in the Asia Cup 2023 happens on 10th September 2023 at Colombo this time. The last time these two sides played, rain spoiled the fun and ruined every fan’s day. Well, rain is predicted once again but the fans remain hopeful. Following is the Pakistan vs India Preview for the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2023.
Match Preview
The match is being played at a neutral venue so the home advantage thing is nullified here. The team that plays better cricket will end up winning.
Keeping the first encounter in mind, Pakistan got the better out of India. Pakistan bowled well, and dismissed India before the 50 overs. So psychologically, Pakistan will be favorites here. India had their positives, with Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan batting well in the game against Pakistan and later against Nepal, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill picked their form.
Indian batting still remains a weak link. Their batter have not been scoring runs consistently and Pakistani pacers are in red hot form. So even the slightest mistakes of the Indian Batters can cost them big. The pitch at Colombo will surely be slow, while the conditions are overcast. The spin attack of India will be licking their lips and same condition will be of Pakistani Pacers.
The toss will be quite crucial, bowling first might be a good choice. Meanwhile, if it rains, we still have a reserve day for this game.
Strengths and Weaknesses
India
India’s top order will be tested again. This is there first game of the super 4 stage and they will be surely under some pressure, because they could not score big last time against Pakistan. Rohit Sharma still seems to be stuck in his mind against Pakistani new ball bowlers and he has a big innings due on him. Same goes for Gill and Kohli.
Indian middle order delivered in that game so that is indeed their strength. Their bowlers did well against Nepal, but they are yet to be tested against a quality side in the Asia Cup 2023.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s spin attack and Fakhar Zaman remains their weakness. The spin attack has not been upto the mark so far. They have even started to leave out Nawaz, because he was leaking too many runs. Meanwhile, Shadab Khan did well against Nepal, but against India and Bangladesh he did not do much. Fakhar also has been going downhill in ODI cricket and it is about time that he fixes his problem and delivers on the big stage.
Pakistan’s strength remains with its pacers. The Pacers of Pakistan have been extra-ordinary in this format. All 3 Pakistani pacers are the top wicket takers of the event and they are threatening every team in the Asia Cup 2023.
Current Situation of the Match:
India started quite brilliantly in the game. They registered a quick 100+ run opening stand thanks to half centuries from both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Both the openers of India came prepared and attacked the Pakistani Bowlers. Naseem Shah created some chances but Pakistan could not hold onto that.
The opening stand was broken by Shadab Khan who dismissed Rohit Sharma and afterwards Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Shubman Gill. When India were 147/2 in 24.1 overs, rain interrupted and the game couldn’t start again. The game will now be played on the reserve day, 11th September 2023, started from the same score.
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Playing 11
Pakistan have announced their lineup and they are going with the same lineup that played against Bangladesh.
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.
India can leave out Shardul Thakur and play Axar Patel to have extra spin option in the lineup. This will give them advantage on a spin friendly track.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.
Pakistan vs India Head to Head Record
If we talk about the overall rivalry in ODI cricket, Pakistan is miles ahead. Out of the 133 ODIs played between the two rivals, Pakistan have won 73 while India have won 55 and 5 games have washed out. The rivalry is a close one in Asia Cup ODI’s and India edging out Pakistan. India have won 7 out of the 14 encounters while Pakistan have won 5 and two games have ended as NR.
Pakistan vs India Live Streaming
| Location | Broadcaster |
| India | Star Sports, Disney+Hotstar |
| Pakistan | PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Tamasha |
| Bangladesh | Gazi TV (GTV) |
| Australia | Fox Sports |
| New Zealand | Sky Sports |
| South Africa | SuperSport network |
| USA | Willow TV |
| UK | Sky Sports |
| Middle East | OSN Sports Cricket HD |
| Papua New Guinea | EM TV |
| Afghanistan | Ariana TV |
