Following their victory against Nepal in the first match of the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan is set to meet their rivals India in the third match of the tournament on September 2.
Babar opens on Pakistan’s supremacy in Pallekele
Pakistan will be playing their last Group A match, against India at Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy. With Pakistan announcing their playing 11 a day before the match, they will be expected to continue with the same squad until a defeat in the tournament.
It is said that there is a possibility of rain during the match. India is set to play its first match against their rivals Pakistan in the continental event.
Pakistan had recently played Tests against Sri Lanka and ODI series against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. On this occasion, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said that their player’s time spent in Sri Lanka will add some advantage to their side against India.
He said, “We’ve been here for the last two months. We played the Tests [against Sri Lanka] here, then the LPL, and then the Afghanistan series. We have a decent knowledge of the conditions, and the wicket looks like a sporting one. I’ve found Sri Lankan conditions pretty similar to Pakistani and Indian conditions. You take time when you come in to bat, and bowl in the right channels.”
He said that they don’t feel any pressure ahead of the high-intensity match and get excited about the match.
“I don’t think we feel the pressure of this game,” he said. “We’re focusing on what we can control. We want to continue our momentum. The boys are excited. You know India-Pakistan is a high-intensity match, and the fans wait for it for a while.”
“We’re similarly excited. We’re going to stick with the same top order; but if we don’t get a good start, I am encouraged by the middle order stepping up. They’re chipping in. We had been lagging in the middle order for a while, but they’re responding well now.”
He said that Pakistan will be traveling back to Pakistan right after their match against India and will be preparing for the Super fours.
“When the Asia Cup was announced, we knew we’d have to travel a lot. The physios and trainers looked after us,” Babar said. “We had been preparing since the schedule was announced. Travel is a part of cricket [for which] you have to be prepared; I don’t expect it to affect our performance.”
“The amount I’ve played here I haven’t seen the weather affect cricket. The radar might say there’s rain around but it doesn’t really happen,” he concluded.
After the IND-PAK clash, India will be facing Nepal in the fifth match of the tournament on September 4 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
