Before the exciting Asia Cup 2023 showdown between India and Pakistan today i.e. 2nd September, players from both teams came together for a practice session under the floodlights. This upcoming match will be the first One Day International (ODI) encounter between the two teams since their 2019 meeting.
Under the leadership of Babar Azam, Pakistan has proven to be a strong rival to India in T20Is. They defeated India in the Asia Cup Super Fours last year and had a convincing 10-wicket victory in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Babar’s team has already made a strong start in the tournament, winning their opening match against Nepal with a massive 238-run margin earlier this week with captain Babar Azam scoring a staggering 151 runs while Iftikhar Ahmed also scored a quickfire century.
One of the most exciting storylines in the India-Pakistan clash revolves around India’s strong batting lineup and Pakistan’s formidable bowling trio, which includes Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf.
In their previous encounter at the 2022 T20 World Cup, India’s batsmen faced early difficulties and were reduced to 31 for the loss of 4 wickets. However, Virat Kohli’s outstanding performance led India to a remarkable 160-run chase. Kohli’s innings, which featured two memorable sixes against Haris Rauf, has become one of the biggest moment in cricket history.
As the highly anticipated clash approaches, the battle between Virat Kohli and Haris Rauf has attracted significant attention from fans.
Meanwhile, during a practice session, Haris Rauf’s initial comment seemed to hint at those famous sixes Kohli hit against him. When they met during training, Haris could be heard saying, “Jidhar se guzarta hu na, Kohli-Kohli hota hai (Wherever I go, I hear your name),” seemingly referring to that Kohli’s six vs him.
The two players also discussed the major ODI tournaments, including the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 set to happen in India in October November month this year. The conversation concluded with Haris recalling the net sessions with the Indian team in Sydney during their tour of Australia in 2018-2019, where he bowled to several Indian batters during practice.
In the video, we can also see captain Rohit Sharma chatting with Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam. Babar Azam showed concern for Rohit’s family’s well-being. Additionally, Mohammed Siraj and Haris Rauf were seen discussing bowling strategies for ODIs in the video.
Pakistan and India players meet up ahead of Saturday's #PAKvIND match in Kandy ✨#AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/iP94wjsX6G
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 1, 2023
