Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its playing XI for the much-awaited encounter against arch-rivals India on September 2 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan did not make any changes to their winning combination despite criticism surrounding opener Fakhar Zaman. Shaheen Afridi has also recovered from the minor injury that saw him leave the field in Asia Cup 2023 opener.
In the Asia Cup 2023 opener played at Multan Cricket Stadium, Pakistan started off with a massive 238-run win over Nepal. Skipper Babar Azam played the perfect captain's knock as he scored 151. Lower down the order, Iftikhar Ahmed's unbeaten 71-ball 109 helped Pakistan post 342/6. A clinical bowling display including Shadab Khan's four-fer meant Nepal were bundled out for 104 on their Asia Cup debut.
Pakistan's Playing XI vs India: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
Meanwhile, India will be without the services of their wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul who could not recover from a minor niggle. In his absence, Ishan Kishan is likely to keep wickets. Also, Shreyas Iyer is set to return to India’s middle order after recovering from a back injury.
Ahead of India's Asia Cup campaign opener, Rohit made it clear that he is not concerned about the pressure of the India-Pakistan clash.
“It is a tournament where six teams are quiet competitive. We have to be best on our given day. For us, we do not want to look at all the other teams. What is India's focus that is the key. How we can perform and do well. What helps us we do the right things and move forward. We are here to tick a lot of boxes,” he said in the pre-match press conference on September 1.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023: From Virat's Melbourne miracle to Rohit's Manchester madness, a recap on arch-rivals' recent battles
Asia Cup 2023: Hayden advises Rohit to exercise caution against Shaheen Afridi in India vs Pakistan slugfest
