Asia Cup: India captain Rohit Sharma heaps praise on No. 1 ODI side Pakistan ahead of mega battle in Kandy

India and Pakistan will face-off in Group A clash of the Asia Cup on Saturday (September 02) in Kandy. The third game of the ongoing competition, being jointly held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is eagerly awaited as it will see the resumption of the Indo-Pak rivalry after their epic face-off in last year's 2022 T20 World Cup, where the Men in Blue won a humdinger of a clash on the last ball.

With the Asia Cup being held in the 50-over format, as a dress rehearsal for next month'sODI World Cup in India, Rohit Sharma & Co. will know they have their task cut-out to start with a win over No. 1 ranked side Pakistan. Babar Azam-led Men in Green's recent 3-0 whitewash over Afghanistan propelled them to the top spot and they also started the Asia Cup with a bang, thrashing Nepal by 238 runs in the curtain raise at Multan on Wednesday (August 30).

Talking to the reporters in the pre-match presser, Indian captain Rohit acknowledged Pakistan's white-ball success and said on Friday (September 01), "Pakistan have played really well in recent times in T20Is and ODIs. They worked really hard to be No.1, it'll be a good challenge for us tomorrow."

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There is a strong possibility of India to face Pakistan as many as three times in this Asia Cup. They are likely to meet in the Super Four, on September 10 in Colombo, and can also lock horns in the tournament finale, to be held on September 17 in Colombo.

It is to be noted that India and Pakistan have never met in the Asia Cup final. Will history rewrite itself this time around? Only time will tell...

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