Kandy (Web Desk): Arch rivals Pakistan and India will face off against each other in the third match of one-day international (ODI) of Asia Cup 2023 today.
The match, scheduled to start at 2:30pm (PST), will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Kandy is half an hour ahead of Pakistan’s time.
The highly-anticipated match was expected to be interrupted by rain.
However, the latest forecast shows that Kandy's weather has become pleasant with fewer chances of rain as compared to the previous forecast which said that there was over 70% chance of rain during the match.
Earlier, it was predicted that Kandy would witness rain for the entire day but the latest forecast shows that it will rain for just an hour today.
According to the latest prediction, there is a 40% to 60% chance of rain between 2pm and 3pm while there is only a 20% chance of rain in Kandy after 3:30pm.
The Babar Azam-led Pakistani side is looking strong and is currently the number 1 ranked international team. Pakistan had also convincingly defeated Nepal during the opening match of Asia Cup 2023 by 238 runs owing to centuries by skipper Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed along with an exceptional bowling performance by all-rounder Shadab Khan.
India, on the other hand, will be fielding a full-strength side in a long time with pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer returning from injury.
The last time the two teams face each other in a 50-over match was in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 where the Blues emerged victorious.
Even in their most recent clash at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia during the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2022, India won.
If the rain interrupts today's match, the two teams can face each other once again in the Super Four stage if they make it past the group stages.
In Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan and India are in Group A with Nepal, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are in Group B with Afghanistan.
Teams:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.