Seasoned India paceman Mohammed Shami, who is also nicknamed "Lalaji", turned 33 on Sunday
Coming off a washout, India would hope they only have greenhorns Nepal to tackle and not rain as the heavyweights eye a berth in the Super Four of the Asia Cup here on Monday. From Group A, Pakistan have already qualified to the Super Four with 3 points, and India have one point from the washed-out game against their arch-rivals on Saturday. Even in the event of another rain-marred match on the morrow, India can advance to the Super Four with two points, but Rohit Sharma's men will certainly not want it that way. India received some encouraging signals from their match against Pakistan, and they would want to build on them ahead of the business end of this tournament and much sterner assays in the waiting. Pakistan pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf had reduced India to 66 for 4 by the 15th over. At that point, India's worries might have been accentuated by the fact that they have a jelly middle-order. Ishan Kishan was playing the first match of his career at No. 5 in ODIs
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and opted to bat first. He confirmed three changes in their playing 11 from the last game. Afghanistan went in with three seamers and three spinners
India had posted 266/10 in 48.5 overs in their innings. Men in Blue, boosted by the return of pacer Bumrah, did not get to show off their bowling prowess as rain did not allow any further action
Bangladesh would look for inspiration from skipper Shakib Al Hasan to produce a much-improved batting effort when they take on Afghanistan in their must-win second Group B match of the Asia Cup here on Sunday. It was a below-par batting performance that let Bangladesh down in their tournament opener against Sri Lanka in Pallekele as they could only manage 164 after opting to bat. Barring Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was the lone warrior with a 122-ball 89, no other Bangaldeshi batter could come up with substantial runs and support him. Much was expected from the experienced Shakib but he failed to deliver. But come Sunday, Shakib has to shoulder the responsibility and be the anchor man in the middle-order for Bangladesh. Having said that Bangladesh would need a strong start from young openers Mohammad Naim and Tanzid Hasan. Veteran wicketkeeper batter Mushfiqur Rahim too has to share the responsibility with Shakib. On the bowling front, Taskin Ahmed looked impressive but Shoriful
Former Pakistan player Wasim Akram gave his verdict on the debate surrounding who is better among India's Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi as well as between Babar Azam and Virat Kohli
A local fan at Kandy's Pallekele said that the weather is clear ahead of the India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2023
If the India vs Pakistan match is washed out, a lot of doors will be opened for Nepal and Pakistan will qualify for the Super Four
The rainfall is expected to play a spoilsport, given there are more than 60 per cent chances of precipitation today (September 2) in Kandy during the IND vs PAK match.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Friday played down the talks of pressure on his side and said they were banking on their experience in Sri Lankan conditions to do well against India in their Asia Cup match. Pakistan had played a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka in July and then several players, including Babar, stayed back for the Lanka Premier League (LPL). After the LPL, Pakistan took on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series, which they won 3-0. Babar said the whole trip would stand the side in good stead. "We have been here since July. We have played Test matches, some league (LPL) matches and then the ODIs (against Afghanistan). We are hoping that this will help us to do well against India tomorrow," said Babar during the pre-match press-conference. Babar shot down talks of pressure surrounding an Indo-Pak match, and said they were just concentrating on the game and not on outside noises. "There is no extra pressure. Yes, the India vs Pakistan match is always one of high ..
India skipper Rohit Sharma on Friday said his batters will have to rely on their rich experience to counter Pakistan's potent pace trio in the much awaited Asia Cup clash here on Saturday. A mouth watering contest awaits when the likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli face the highly skilled Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. We don't have Shaheen, Naseem and Rauf in our nets. We practice with the bowlers we have. They are all quality bowlers. We just have to use our experience to play them tomorrow," Rohit said on the eve of the game when asked about his team's plans against the highly skilled pace attack. Tournament is not a fitness test =================== With a few key players entering the Asia Cup after their recent recovery from injuries, Rohit asserted that the tournament is not a fitness test and the team will have to put its game face on. India's Group A match against Pakistan will see pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishn
Shaheen Afridi talks about team spirit, preparations to win the Asia Cup and the Pakistan pace trio that includes him, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah
Sanjay Bangar, former India batting coach feels Virat Kohli has a special plan against all five main bowlers of Pakistan
Calling it one of the spiciest competitions on the planet, Hayden said that all three pacers in the Pakistan trio are unique and require a unique counterplan to tackle them
Virat Kohli won't mind an encore of that magical moment against Haris Rauf while Rohit Sharma would be ready with his answers for Shaheen Shah Afridi's banana inswingers in India's 'battle royale' against Pakistan, which will be more than just a World Cup dress rehearsal. The Asia Cup has returned to the 50-over format to facilitate an ideal match preparation for five of the six participating teams but for organisers and the fans India versus Pakistan is not just another game, it is 'The Match'. Kohli's lofted check-drive off Rauf under Melbourne skyline last year during the T20 World Cup became a part of Indian cricket fans' muscle memory while Pakistanis rejoiced when Rohit failed to negotiated a lethal tailing-in delivery from Shaheen and was caught plumb. Such performances help players grow into legends and Saturday's Asia Cup game will be another opportunity for cricketers from both the sides to emerge as heroes. However with steady rain predicted in the hilly Kandy region on
Playing their opening match of the tournament, both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh struggled on a slow Pallekele wicket. But Sri Lanka managed to scrape through to a win by five wickets
The great Virat Kohli feels one has to be at his absolute best to face a high quality bowling attack like Pakistan's. The Indians have won their last three ODIs against Pakistan but the last one was played during the 2019 World Cup. I feel bowling is their strength. And they've got some really impactful bowlers that can change the course of the game anytime based on their skill set. So, you have to be at your absolute best to face them, he told Star Sports. Kohli has been in decent form in ODIs lately, having scripted 554 runs in 13 matches in the format since last December at a commendable average of 50.36. Talking about his approach lately, Kohli said, I only try to understand how I can better my game. Every day, every practice session, every year, every season, this is what has helped me play this well for so long and to perform for my team. "I don't think you can perform consistently without that mindset because if your performance is your only goal, then you can be satisfied
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. India and Pakistan will square off in the ongoing Asia Cup here on Saturday. 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. Recalling that knock, Shadab said, "The kind of batsman that Virat Kohli is, the way he has performed against us, even in the last match at the (2022 T20) 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
Matheesha Pathirana's sling-shot action immediately brings Lasith Malinga to mind but the young Sri Lankan did not deliberately copy his illustrious senior, his childhood coach Bilal Fassy said on Thursday, insisting that the much talked-about bowling style came naturally to the pacer. His Malinga-like action has also earned Pathirana sobriquets like Podi (Little) Malinga in Sri Lanka and Baby Malinga among Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans. Pathirana had a breakout season for IPL champions CSK. He snared 19 wickets from 12 matches and was Mahendra Singh Dhoni's go-to bowler in crunch situations. While Dhoni is grooming the 20-year-old as CSK's designated death overs specialist, the Sri Lankan cricket establishment should handle him with utmost care, feels Fassy. "Seeing his action, a lot of people think that he has modelled it after seeing Malinga. Pathirana also trained under Malinga. But he came to me with this action from day one, and we just worked on it a bit, considering it can
Jasprit Bumrah will be playing for the first time with India's best squad since his long lay-off due to injury. Mohammed Shami said that Bumrah's presence will be a big boost for the Pakistan game