Two teams representing countries with over seven decades of political tension and acrimony. Politicians and administrators say keep the sport outside of politics but does it really work that way. Not exactly.
The Elusive Bilateral Series
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series in either country for a decade or so now. The last bilateral series was way back in 2012-2013 on Indian soil. It is under this cloud that the arch-rivals will face off atleast twice, or maybe even thrice in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
India will take on Pakistan in Kandy on September 2 in their highly-anticipated Group A clash and are likely to meet again on September 10 in the Super Fours match in Colombo.
Bragging Rights and the Prelude to the Biggie
The Rohit Sharma-led side will have their tails up and fancy their chances against the ‘Men in Green’ after their victory in the blockbuster encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the T20 World Cup last year. That victory was largely engineered by Virat Kohli’s iconic innings that would be remembered for ages on the back of the two sixes he struck off Haris Rauf.
And Pakistan would be looking to make amends and get a measure of this Indian side in the ODI format. Remember, Asia Cup will be played in the 50-over format this year in preparation for the ODI World Cup beginning on October 5th in India.
The Ahmedabad Blockbuster: October 15, 2023
So, the Asia Cup games will be the matches with space for bragging rights as India-Pakistan matches always tend to be. But more importantly, the two-three games India and Pakistan will play will actually in the big picture be a prelude to the real biggie in October.
Yes, the Ahmedabad Blockbuster on October 15th, 2023. Save The Date.
India will go right in with their 7-0 advantage at 50-over World Cups historically. From 1992 to 2019, it’s been India all the way and Rohit Sharma and Co will look to maintain the clean slate come D-Day.
A capacity crowd of 1,32,000 is expected at the world’s biggest cricket stadium with everything from hotels to flights facing a mad rush for bookings and tickets.
The buzz is in the air. Asia Cup beckons for the arch-rivals and they will look to build upon the outcome for the all-important World Cup clash on October 15th.
