India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE Updates: Pakistan bowlers ...

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: Arch rivals India and Pakistan will face off against each other for a much-anticipated encounter at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy on Saturday. The two Asian rivals had last faced each other in one-day cricket during the 2019 ODI World Cup, where India defeated their neighbours convincingly by 89 runs. 

However, the Babar Azam-led Pakistani side is looking strong and is currently the number 1 ranked international team. Pakistan had also convincingly defeated Nepal during the inaugural match of Asia Cup 2023 by 238 runs owing to centuries by skipper Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed along with an exceptional bowling performance by all-rounder Shadab Khan. 

India, on the other hand, will be fielding a full-strength side in a long time with pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer returning from injury. Notably, Bumrah had also led the Indian side for the three-match T20 series against Ireland 

Ind vs Pak Live: Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma are ready to get back on the ground and Pakistani bowlers are also set 

Ind vs Pak Live: Rohit Sharma is warming up as the match is expected to be resume soon. 

Ind vs Pak Live: The ground staff seems to be in a fix about the covers as the sky looks clear, but possibility of rains still around 

Ind vs Pak Live: “I feel bowling is their (Pakistan) main aspect. They've got bowlers who can change the course of the game, based on their skillset. You have to be at your absolute best to face them," Virat Kohli said. 

Ind vs Pak Live: The ground staff is removing the covers and soon Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will enter the ground. The match is expected to resume in next 5 minutes. 

Ind vs Pak Live: Shaheen Shah Afridi started the match on a dangerous note, but it seems like Rohit Sharma was ready for all that as he smashed a wonderful 4 on the second ball of the match. Naseem Shah also attempeted to built up the pressure, especially on Shubman Gill, but by far Indian openers have maintained the composure and are looking in great posture for the match. India is at 15/0 (4.2 overs) 

Ind vs Pak Live: Those two magical sixes from Virat Kohli's match during the T20 World Cup 2022 sealed India's fate in that historic match. Haris Rauf may want to seek revenge and keep up the pressure high but Virat Kohli has always been his best against Pakistan. Read More

Ind vs Pak Live: As expected the rains are here and the players are back to the pavilion. The rains are not that intense but as per weather reports the rain might disrupt the India vs Pakistan match. The weather department predicited 94% chance of rains during evening. Read More 

Ind vs Pak Live: Covers are on as the expected rain intruptted the India vs Pakistan match. 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: Some powerful deliveries from Naseem Shah are putting Shubman Gill on defensive. 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE:

India:

Rohit Sharma (c): 11 (16)

Shubman Gill: 0 (2)

Pakistan

Shaheen Afridi: 0/11 (2)

Naseem Shah: 0/2 (1)

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: Rohit Sharma hits a stunning 4 to Shaheen Afridi. That displays confidence 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE:

India:

Rohit Sharma (c): 7 (10)

Shubman Gill: 0 (2)

Pakistan

Naseem Shah: 0/2 (1)

Shaheen Afridi: 0/6 (1)

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: Shubman Gill just faced a fantastic delivery by Naseem Shah

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: Shaheen Afridi seems little nervous against Shubman Gill, starts with a wide. 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE Updates: Shaheen Shah Afridi is throwing some of the most dangerous deliveries, but Rohit Sharma is handling well for now 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: What a spectacular four by Rohit Sharma!!

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE Updates: Rohit Sharma against Shaheen Shah Afridi 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 LIVE: Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill on the crease 

Ind vs Pak, Asia Cup 2023 Live Updates: After some drizzles, the sky looks clear in Kandy, Sri Lanka and the Indian batters can be out any time now. 

Ind vs Pak Live Updates: The players are in the ground for the national anthem of both nations. 

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(w), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Pakistan: 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

Ravi Shastri noted the track is a little slow and the bounce could be a little lopsided. He added that the ball might grip at the start of the match and getting a score in excess of 260 could be a winning total in this encounter.

Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first. The Indian team is going with three seamers and two spinner combination for the blockbuster game against Pakistan.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Sharma said, "I have played a lot of cricket so it’s important to use that experience. Will do what the team requires from me. In the past two years, I have played a different brand of cricket - it was a high-risk cricket when it comes to batting. I need to bring the right balance to my game - when it comes to taking risks,"

Cricket fans can watch the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match on television with Star Sports network. For live streaming, the Disney+ Hotstar mobile app and website are the perfect place. On Disney+ Hotstar mobile app, the live streaming of all matches of Asia Cup 2023 is free.

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash will begin on 2 September (Saturday) at 3:00 PM. The toss between the two skippers- Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam is expected at 2:30 PM. The match will be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Former Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram has shared weather update from Kandy. In a video posted on X, Akram said, “Many people are asking me about the weather in Kandy. Where I'm staying, there's a drizzle with cloud cover. But you can see that the weather is clearing. The ground is one hour away from here. Maybe, the weather is different there"

Rain could spoil the blockbuster Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan, with Google Weather predicting a 56-78 per cent chance of rain during the match and heavy cloud cover throughout the day. Temperatures are also expected to hover around 25 degrees Celsius with humidity at 92 percent for the early stages of the eagerly-anticipated clash. However, according to Weather.com, there is only a 20 per cent chance of rain today. It is also predicted that the maximum temperature is likely to be around 28 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is likely to be around 21 degrees Celsius.

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India will be playing at full strength for the first time in months with the return of pacers Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah and opener Shreyas Iyer. With wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul set to miss the first two matches of the Asia Cup, Ishan Kishan is certain to find a place in India's playing XI.

Here's the likely playing XI for India, as per Hindustan Times:

Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami. 

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On being asked about the debate about who is the better batter between him and Virat Kohli, Babar said, “The debate that has been going on should be left to them (fans). I don't want to comment on it. Everybody has their point of view. There should be mutual respect. He's elder to me, and I have been taught to respect our elders, no matter which country they are from." 

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Pakistan announced on Friday that they will play with the same XI that they fielded against Nepal on 30 August. The Babar Azam-led side will field a combination of three pacers and two all-rounders against India on Saturday.

Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf

Top Indian players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Siraj were seen interacting with their Pakistani counterparts ahead of the all-important Asia Cup clash on Saturday. In the video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board, Indian batter Virat Kohli could be seen interacting with pacer Haris Rauf. Notably, Kohli batting prowess against Rauf at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the 2022 T20 World Cup had helped the Men in Blue seal the match by 4 wickets against the arch-rivals.

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