India keen to settle old dues against Pakistan

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Despite failing in the English conditions, the southpaw will look to make his mark early in the tournament

So far, all the Asia Cup 2018 games have been one-sided. Yet what makes this year's tournament one of the most interesting editions of the Asia Cup is because of the fact that Bangladesh and Afghanistan have emerged as a dominant limited-overs force in the recent times. With both the teams almost qualifying into the next stage – handing two of the worst defeats in terms of runs to the Lankans in the tournament, the other two teams are yet to be confirmed.

The much-awaited game of the tournament irrespective of anything else is the one between the two Asian giants – India and Pakistan.

The last time both the teams met was at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final when Pakistan handed India an embarrassing 180-run defeat on the back of Fakhar Zaman's hundred and Pakistan's incredible pace bowling.

India's scars would have definitely healed since then, but they will surely look to come out on top and extend their dominance in the Asian tournament – India has won six out of 11 times they faced Pakistan since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1984, with one match being abandoned.

India's second-highest run-getter in Asia Cup, Virat Kohli, has been rested and it will be a test for the middle order against a quality pace attack of Pakistan. In absence of the Indian skipper – who has been the leading scorer, it would be a test of Indian batting line-up's resilience with the conundrum of number four at utmost priority.

To counter the impressive left-arm attack, India has recruited Sri Lankan Nuwan Seneviratne, as a throw-down specialist. Pakistan, on the other hand, looks well composed heading into the tournament with five successive ODI wins apart from the home advantage. Regarded as the best cricketing rivalry, Dubai is all set to host a high-octane encounter.

Probable XI

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Ambati Rayudu/Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik/Kedar Jhadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, K Khaleel Ahmed

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan

Time: 5:00 PM (IST)

Venue: Dubai International Stadium (UAE)

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