With not much time left before the blockbuster Asia Cup 2023 contest between India and Pakistan gets underway, fans' excitement has reached over the moon. As a result, fans from either side of the border were continuously and fiercely chanting Babar Azam's and Virat Kohli's names outside the Pallekele Stadium on Saturday.
Babar Azam and Virat Kohli are arguably two of the best all-format batters of the current generation and amongst the few to average over 50 in ODIs. The pair are also the most reliable batters for their sides and teams depend on them significantly for run-scoring and putting them into a dominant position.
However, it's worth noting that both hold immense respect for one another and consider each other as the best all-format batters. Babar notably has had a dreamy start to his Asia Cup 2023 campaign, smacking 151 off 131 deliveries against Nepal in Multan. His efforts along with Iftikhar Ahmed's 67-ball 100 propelled Pakistan to 342 in their stipulated 50 overs from where they sealed a 238-run victory.
India have won the toss and chosen to bat first:
Meanwhile, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has won the coin toss and opted to bat first.
India playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(wk), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
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.
