Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK Playing 11: Shardul preferred over Shami in XI

India have gone with two genuine pacers --Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj -- and two fast bowling all-rounders in Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya.

2:40 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

India Playing 11: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.

2:37 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Rohit Sharma informed at the toss that Shami is not match fit as he is making a comeback in Indian team.

2:35 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Pakistan (Playing 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

2:34 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

India Playing 11: Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur are three pacers. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are two spinners.
Shreyas Iyer playing today

2:32 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

India win toss and elects to bat first as sun is shining at the Pallekele Stadium.

2:28 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

We are just few minutes away the toss. India's Playing 11 will be revealed in few moments. Stay tuned with us for the live updates.

2:11 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Covers at Pallekele Stadium is removed and players of both - India and Pakistan - are at the ground. Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi among others are doing pre-match warm-ups.

2:03 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

According to broadcasters, in yesterday's practice session, Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma came in to bat in pair. The duo was followed by Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul.

Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma didn't bat in the practice session. Though, Surya and Varma were the two batters who rolled their arms.

The practice pattern certainly reveals Ishan Kishan is going to play in middle order and no place for Surya. If Shardul gets a game them India have to choose only two from Prasidh Krishna, Bumrah, Shami and Siraj.

India Playing 11 prediction: Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur/Mohammed Siraj/Mohammed Shami/Prasidh Krishna (Only two off the 4 pacers).

1:57 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Here's what Former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar said about Virat Kohli batting style:


Former India cricketer and coach Sanjay Bangar added that Virat Kohli would be itching to have a go at the Pakistan team after his heroics in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

 

Chasing 160 in a group match at Melbourne, Kohli unleased his full force to score an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls to help India defeat Pakistan on the last ball in an edge-of-the-seat thriller.

 

"Virat is ready for the greatest rivalry in world cricket. The last time these two nations played (2022 T20 World Cup), Virat came out with a special innings, and that shot versus Haris Rauf will be etched in the memories of cricket lovers for a long, long time.

 

"Now, what has Virat Kohli done in the last six to eight months? How has he come out of a little bit of a bad patch wherein he wasn't scoring big runs? But now he has got into that habit of scoring big runs again."

 

Bangar added Kohli's habit of allowing the ball to come to him will help him in a big way against the likes of Afridi.

 

"He is setting up really nice and early, staying still, allowing the ball to come to him. That is one aspect which is going to help him big time, especially against Shaheen (Afridi) because he gets the ball to swing in late.

 

"And if we are watching the ball, letting it come to you, you can actually play it down the ground or play it to mid-on or mid-wicket region; that is where his (Kohli's) strength is," said Bangar.

1:48 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

The whole ground is covered as of now. There is no rain around, it is just a precautionary step as informed by the broadcaster.

1:41 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Here's what Mathew Hayden said about Virat Kohli ahead of India vs Pakistan


Virat Kohli, who was leading the side in 2021, was the highest run-getter for India scoring a 49-ball 57, coming in at his usual No.3 spot.

 

Terming the clash of the arch-rivals as the "spiciest competition" in world cricket, Hayden also said India batters will also have to guard against the extra bounce the likes of Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah could generate.

 

"India is playing against Pakistan's pace trio. This is one of the spiciest competitions on the planet. We've got Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem (Shah). Three very different types of bowlers and unique bowlers, which require unique plans from Team India.

 

"Firstly, the conditions here in Kandy tend to have quite a lot of bounce, so you've got to watch that out, especially Haris Rauf. He'll want to really hustle in and hit the top of off stump.

 

"And I think with Naseem, even though he will shape the ball, Pakistan can be in a position to advance forward with India managing to take them out of play by aggressive plays against someone like Naseem," said Hayden.

 

Hayden, though said that putting Naseem under pressure early on could put India in a winning position.

 

"Put him (Naseem) under pressure, feel like you are in front of the game. All in all, though, I think it's going to be Team India that's going to win. I think they've got a deeper, classier batting lineup, and I think they've got form on the board as well."

India vs Pakistan, ICC CWC 2019. Photo: Reuters

1:33 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Exercise caution against Shaheen Afridi in first three overs: Hayden to Rohit

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden wants India skipper Rohit Sharma to negotiate Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi's first three overs with "caution" to avoid a fate similar to the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.

 

Rohit was dismissed for a first-ball duck by a searing Afridi yorker which bent marginally inwards to beat the opener all ends up.

 

India suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss in the group match and could never bounce back from the defeat in the 2021 edition.

 

Hayden felt a "conservative" approach against Afridi was the right way to handle the tall Pakistan quick.

 

"You've got to be conservative against Shaheen Afridi. Remember back to the (T20) World Cup (in the UAE in 2021) more recently. Shaheen was able to take early wickets," Hayden told Star Sports.

 

"We'll never forget that ball that he bowled to Rohit Sharma, so a little bit of caution against Shaheen Afridi. If it's swinging, look to play out those first three overs," Hayden advised the India skipper.

Rohit Sharma

1:21 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Kandy weather live updates

At the moment, the broadcaster are doing pre-match shows from the field live. Behind them, groundsmen are working with covers. It seems they are covering the whole field. Grey clouds are hovering over the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium with strong winds.

Here's what weather.com depicts on Kandy weather forecast:

1:08 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Pakistan to field unchanged XI against India in Asia Cup

Pakistan will field an unchanged playing XI against India in their much-anticipated Asia Cup match here on Saturday, the country's cricket board (PCB) said.

 

Pakistan on Friday decided to name an unchanged team which thrashed Nepal by 238 runs in their opening game on Wednesday.

 

Pakistan made 342 for 6 riding on hundreds by captain Babar Azam (151) and Iftikhar Ahmed (109 not out). Nepal were bundled out for 104 with Shadab Khan taking four wickets.

 

In the pre-match press conference, Pakistan captain Babar Azam informed that the PCB would reveal the playing XI against India.

 

Babar also hoped that there could be a bit more contribution from the middle-order to support the top three -- himself, Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman.

 

"The top order has been contributing well in recent times. The boys in the middle order are trying their best to chip in and hopefully they will be able to do it against India," he said.

 

Pakistan playing XI: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammed Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.

1:06 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

23-year-old Shadab Khan says he always aims for early wickets to put middle-order hitters under pressure who aren't used to facing the new ball.

 

"In my opinion, my game plan is simple, every opener knows my game plan. The goal is to, as always, get the openers out to put pressure on the batting team. The middle order when they come in are not used to playing against the new ball as much as an opener. So there is a lot of pressure on the middle order to face the new ball," he said
.

1:02 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Here's what has happenedd when Virat Kohli and Haris Rauf met on the eve of India vs Pakistan high-octane clash.

12:46 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

India vs Pakistan: Cricketers bonhomie ease the edge

Virat Kohli walked up to Haris Rauf and they hugged each other and exchanged a few words and laughter. Perhaps, they were having a bit of a joke about those two sixes on a starry Melbourne night last year.

 

It wasn't a mere put on. There was a touching genuineness to it. But that moment at the Pallekele Stadium has more significance to it than its temporary value.

 

It was emblematic of the evolving relation between Indian and Pakistani cricket players, so different from the edgy political connection between these two South Asian neighbours.

 

Later, Kohli also met Pakistan vice-captain Shadab Khan and shared a few campfire moments.

 

Alongside, Mohammed Siraj held a mini pace bowlers' conclave with Rauf, discussing the Pallekele pitch.

 

The pictures and videos went viral in social media and were celebrated.

 

12:33 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

12:24 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

'Don't think any other batter could have done that': Shadab Khan's praise for 'world class' Virat Kohli

On the cricket pitch, they are intense rivals, but India and Pakistan cricketers have enormous respect for each other and are not afraid to acknowledge each other's talent. Whether it's Virat Kohli or Babar Azam - two of the best batters of the contemporary age - players from both sides of the border have lavished accolades on each other in the past.

 

"The kind of batsman that Virat Kohli is, the way he has performed against us, even in the last match at the World Cup, I don't think that if any other batsman in the world was in that situation, could have done that to our bowling line-up. And the beauty of it is that he can do this at any stage and at any time," Shadab said on Star Sports.

 

Shadab admits without hesitation that no other batter in the world, other than Kohli, could have won from that position. Shadab admits that competing against someone of Kohli's calibre necessitates extensive preparation and includes mind games.

 

"He (Kohli) is a world-class player, definitely. You have to plan a lot to face him. Anyway, in international cricket, there are a lot of mind games, because you definitely have the skill to reach that level. But how you read each other's minds, the bowler and the batsman, how they read each other's minds, and it also depends on what the situation is," he said.

Shadab Khan vs Kohli. Photo: X

12:06 PM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Kandy weather forecast ahead of India vs Pakistan match at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

The weather conditions have been improving since morning. First the chances of rainfall have reduced and now the forecast suggests that the cloudy skies are also clearing up. See the hourly weather forecast of Kandy in the image mentioned below:

(Photo: Screenshot from weather.com)

Kandy weather hourly update

11:58 AM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

India have a few tricky calls to make for the big clash, notably with respect to where Ishan Kishan bats. The wicketkeeper batter is set to play in the XI with KL Rahul ruled out of the first couple of matches.

 

They would also either have to choose between Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur for the No.8 spot to lengthen the batting or go bowling heavy and play Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami alongside Kuldeep Yadav.

Jasprit Bumrah prepares to bowl in the nets during a training session ahead of the fifth cricket test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham (File Photo: AP/PTI)

11:54 AM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Asia Cup, IND vs PAK: Shadab says meticulous planning must to bowl to Kohli

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has termed Virat Kohli as a world-class player and very well knows the kind of planning it requires to bowl to the master batter.

And ahead of the marque clash, Pakistani bowlers are working tirelessly to prepare and counter Kohli's threat.
 

"He (Kohli) is a world-class player, definitely. You have to plan a lot to face him," Shadab told Star Sports on the sidelines of the tournament.

Kohli slammed an unbeaten 53-ball 82-run knock against Pakistan in a group match of the ICC T20 World Cup at Melbourne last year to guide India to a convincing four-wicket win over their arch-rivals.

CLICK HERE to READ full article here

 

11:35 AM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

IND vs PAK: Rahul unavailable, eyes on Kishan's batting position

Ishan Kishan is set to play the wicketkeeper-batter role in the absence of K L Rahul but question remains over the left-hander's batting slot going into the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan on September 2.

The temptation will be to hand Kishan the opening position with Rahul not available for the first two games of the continental event. He had opened the innings in India's last ODI series against the West Indies along with Shubman Gill, and made a good impression.

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL  ARTICLE

Ishan Kishan and Virat Kohli put up 94-run stand for second wicket. Photo: Sportzpics for BCCI

11:27 AM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Pakistan and India's players catch up ahead of their highly anticipated clash; Kohli jokes with Shadab, Afridi

Ahead of the high-voltage India and Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash, Men in Blue captain Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli and bowler Mohammed Siraj were spotted greeting Pakistan players during a practice session in Pallekele Stadium.

In a wholesome video shared by Pakistan Cricket on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kohli was seen shaking hands with Haris Rauf and hugging him on the ground. The two talked for a few minutes before returning to their own workouts.

 

Kohli was also seen sharing a hearty laugh with Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi after a practice session in Pallekele. Kohli and Shadab were all grins as they engaged in what appeared to be a lighthearted conversation, laughing and joking around. Soon after, Mohammed Shami went by and was greeted by Shadab, who then continued his talk with Kohli.

 

India captain Rohit was seen engaged in a conversation with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and batter Imam Ul Haq.

 

11:10 AM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

We some good news coming from Kandy's Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The chances of rainfall today is reduced to 20 per cent from 60 per cent a day before. Full 100 overs of mouth watering clash is on the cards. 

Click here to check Kandy's weather hourly update here 

Kandy weather forecast at 2 PM IST on September 2.

10:58 AM

Asia Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan Playing 11 live updates

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of India vs Pakistan build-up. After 2019 World Cup, today India will play against Pakistan in an ODI game. 

As cricket fans await the mouth-watering clash to begin at 3 PM IST. We will provide all the updates till the toss happens before our over-by-over coverage of India vs Pakistan match, beginning 3 PM IST.

India captain Rohit Sharma with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam during Asia Cup 2022. File Photo: PTI