The highly anticipated Asia Cup 2023 clash between India and Pakistan is upon us as Rohit Sharma and Co. look to begin their campaign off to a positive start in the continental tournament, scheduled to be played at the Pallakele Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Ahead of the highly charged encounter between the neighbouring nations, young left-handed batsman Tilak Varma, who is expected to be handed his ODI debut, took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his excitement.
The young Indian batsman posted an update that read, “Full speed ahead”, ahead of the heated clash between the long-standing rivals.
Varma impressed on his T20 debut in the West Indies and is expected to be rewarded with a maiden ODI outing in the famous blue kit of India.
There was more good news for the fans of the men in blue as Shreyas Iyer, who had been undergoing strenuous rehabilitation following his injury is back to fitness and will be looking to make his mark in the continental tournament.
Iyer, who is known for his majestic strokeplay, will look to mark his return from the back injury that has plagued the 28-year-old.
Team India take on Pakistan in an electrifying opening fixture in the continental tournament and the boys in blue will look to get things underway with a win as Rohit and Shubman Gill, the highly touted Indian youngster who claimed the orange cap in the latest edition of the money-rich IPL, will look to give the side a good start.
The performances of former skipper and star batsman Virat Kohli will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the game, as it so often does, while the inclusion of flamboyant batsman Suryakumar Yadav will add flare to the lineup.
All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will seek to influence the result with both bat and ball, while star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, is back to international cricket following the 11-month period of injury lay off due to a severe back injury.