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The stage is prepared for one of the most eagerly awaited contests of Asia Cup 2023, as India is set to face Pakistan in the third match of the Super 4 stage on Sunday, September 10th. This marks the second encounter between the two teams in the current tournament, as the initial clash during the group stage was unfortunately abandoned due to inclement weather.
The clash between both teams is scheduled to take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, marking the first ODI encounter between India and Pakistan at this venue since 2004. In their last meeting here, Pakistan emerged victorious by a margin of 59 runs during an Asia Cup match. Back then, Sourav Ganguly and Inzamam Ul Haq led their respective teams as captains. Furthermore, there was one inconclusive match between the two sides at this venue in 1994.
The star wicketkeeper-batsman was absent from the group-stage clash with Pakistan due to a delay in his recovery from injury. However, he has now been declared fit for the upcoming matches. Additionally, Rohit Sharma will be delighted with the return of the team’s premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for the Super 4 fixtures. Bumrah had missed the Nepal match due to the birth of his first child and was unable to bowl against Pakistan due to rain interruptions.
The availability of both Bumrah and Rahul will provide a significant boost to the team’s prospects against Pakistan. Nevertheless, it presents a welcome selection challenge for captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid as they strategize for the upcoming games.
Team news:
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr
Pakistan Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma
India Probable XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur/Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
