Asia Cup: Pakistan and India's players catch up ahead of their highly anticipated clash; Kohli jokes with Shadab, Afridi
Sep 01, 2023
Pallekele [Sri Lanka], September 1 : Ahead of the high-voltage India and Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash, Men in Blue captain Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli and bowler Mohammed Siraj were spotted greeting Pakistan players during a practice session in Pallekele Stadium.
India are set to clash against Pakistan in their first match of Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday in Pallekele.
In a wholesome video shared by Pakistan Cricket on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kohli was seen shaking hands with Haris Rauf and hugging him on the ground. The two talked for a few minutes before returning to their own workouts.
Kohli was also seen sharing a hearty laugh with Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi after a practice session in Pallekele. Kohli and Shadab were all grins as they engaged in what appeared to be a lighthearted conversation, laughing and joking around. Soon after, Mohammed Shami went by and was greeted by Shadab, who then continued his talk with Kohli.
India captain Rohit was seen engaged in a conversation with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and batter Imam Ul Haq.
Pakistan on Friday named their playing XI for the clash against India in Pallekele. Babar Azam's men are fielding an unchanged XI with a three-prong pace attack supported by three spin-bowling all-rounders.
India have a few tricky calls to make for the big clash, notably with respect to where Ishan Kishan bats. The wicketkeeper batter is set to play in the XI with KL Rahul ruled out of the first couple of matches.
They would also either have to choose between Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur for the No.8 spot to lengthen the batting or go bowling heavy and play Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami alongside Kuldeep Yadav.
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.
