The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry demonstrates how passionate people can get over their favourite sports. It's not just about playing a game, but it also represents a long story of history and culture that brings people together and sometimes separates them. Numerous cricket fans in South Asia and around the world are waiting to watch matches between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup ODI tournament. The first India vs Pakistan ODI match in the Asia Cup 2023 will take place on September 2 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium at 3:30 pm (Bangladesh time). Let’s take a look at the match preview.

Preview of PAK vs IND 1st ODI match in the 2023 Asia Cup

Pakistan had a really great beginning in the Asia Cup 2023 tournament. They chose to go first and bat against Nepal in Multan in their first match. They scored 342 runs from 6 wickets. The team's captain, Babar Azam, scored 151 runs from 131 balls, and Iftikhar Ahmed scored an impressive 109 not out from 71 balls. After that, when Nepal was batting, Pakistan's bowlers did a fantastic job and managed to get all of Nepal's players out for just 104 runs. This led to Pakistan winning the match by a big margin of 238 runs.

Iftikhar Ahmed proved that he can be really good at batting when he comes to play later in the lineup. And then there's Mohammad Rizwan, too, who should be able to make the middle order of the lineup more steady and strong.

Right now, Pakistan has the most dangerous group of fast bowlers in the world. The three of them — Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf — have been really strong on all types of cricket pitches. They're going to be a big challenge for India's batters. We think they might be able to get a few of India's top players out early in the game, even before the first powerplay is finished.

India has a lot to show as they start their journey towards the ODI World Cup 2023. The Asia Cup will help the team get used to playing well and gaining some good energy. In the past seasons, India couldn't always play with their best team because many important players were often injured or needed rest. But this time, they have a really strong lineup that covers most of the important areas. Sadly, KL Rahul is still recovering from a small injury and won't be playing in the first two matches. Ishan Kishan will probably take his place in the team.

Read more: Prospects of Bangladesh in 2023 Asia Cup ODI Tournament

India vs Pakistan Head to Head in Asia Cup So Far

India and Pakistan have played against each other 13 times in the men's ODI Asia Cup. India has a bit of an advantage because they've won seven out of those 13 matches. In the last Asia Cup ODI version, which was in 2018, the teams faced each other twice, and India won both times. The current captain of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma, probably remembers those two matches happily because he scored fifty runs in one and a hundred in the other.

They have played against each other three times in Sri Lanka during the tournament's history. Each team won one game, and one game didn't end in a result.

Probable Playing XI for Pakistan

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

Probable Playing XI for India

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

Read more: ICC World Cup 2023 Warm-up Schedule: Full fixture list, match timings and venues

Pakistani Players to Watch

Babar Azam

He has been doing really well in all kinds of cricket. And he has started the Asia Cup really impressively. Just this year, Babar has played 12 ODIs and has scored a total of 689 runs. His average score is around 57, which is really good, and he has a strike rate of 87, which means he is hitting the ball well. He has even scored two centuries and six fifties.

Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman, who is one of the opening players in the team, is also someone who can make a big difference in the game if he starts playing well. Zaman has done really well against India in the past and has been playing really nicely recently. In his last 10 matches, he has scored a total of 523 runs. On average, he scores about 58 runs in each match, and his strike rate is around 92, which means he's playing quite fast and aggressively.

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Indian Players to Watch

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is going to be the key player to keep an eye on once again. He has been playing really well this year and has scored a total of 427 runs in 10 ODIs. On average, he scores around 53 runs in each match, which is really good. He has even scored two centuries (100 or more runs in a single game) and one fifty. Against Pakistan, he usually scores about 49 runs on average, and it wouldn't be surprising if he delivers another amazing performance, considering his skills as a great batter.

Rohit Sharma

Another player who can really change the game is Rohit Sharma. He is the captain of the Indian team. Against Pakistan, he usually scored around 51 runs on average over 16 ODIs. He has scored two centuries and six fifties in those matches. Even though he has not been playing his best in ODIs recently, we are hoping that Rohit will play a significant and impactful innings in this important match.

Final Words

India has done well against Pakistan in recent years in the ODIs. They have won four out of the last five matches they played against Pakistan. But the current Pakistan team is much better and they won't be easy to defeat. With Babar Azam playing so well and their strong bowling attack, they will be a tough challenge for India. The Indian team looks strong on paper, but many of their players are coming back from injuries. Because of this, they might not be at their best, and they could have some trouble facing Pakistan's fast bowlers, who are really good.

On the other hand, Pakistan has been playing in Sri Lanka for the past few weeks and has built great winning momentum. Unless Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, who are important players for India, play really well, India might find it hard to beat Pakistan, who are currently the top team in ODIs. 

Not to mention, the ODI match between India and Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup will be thrilling and enjoyable once again.

Read more: Predictions: Who will win Asia Cup 2023?