“Keh do ki ye jhoot hai” – Fans react as rain likely to play spoilsport in IND vs PAK at 2023 Asia Cup
Rain is likely to play spoilsport in the much-awaited Indo-Pak clash at the 2023 Asia Cup, scheduled to be played at Pallekele in Kandy, Sri Lanka on Saturday, September 2.
According to BBC Weather, there is up to 80 percent possibility of rain in Kandy on Saturday. It will be accompanied by light winds from the southwest direction.
The temperature is likely to hover around 22 to 25 degrees Celsius, but the real feel will likely be nearly 29 degrees Celsius during the ODI. Thus, there are chances of a complete washout, which could dampen the enthusiasm of fans.
Fans on X (previously known as Twitter) expressed their disappointment regarding the weather forecast in Pallekele on Saturday. One user shared a meme that read:
"Nahi, Aisa nahi ho sakta.Keh do ki ye jhu hai (No, this shouldn't happen, say this is a lie)."
Here are some of the other reactions:
Sanjay Manjrekar picks India’s playing XI against Pakistan for 2023 Asia Cup game
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, meanwhile, has picked his Team India's playing XI against Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup game on Saturday.
The 58-year-old has picked Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shubman Gill as India’s top three. He followed that up with Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in the middle-order.
Manjrekar included Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj as specialist bowlers.
World No.1 ODI team Pakistan began the Asia Cup campaign on a positive note, with a 238-run win over Nepal. Captain Babar Azam (151 runs off 131 balls) and Iftikhar Ahmed (109* off 71 deliveries) starred with the bat, while all-rounder Shadab Khan scalped four wickets.
Team India, on the other hand, are currently placed third in the ICC ODI rankings. They are coming off the back of a 2-1 ODI series win in the West Indies.
In the last five head-to-head battles, India have four times. Pakistan’s last win came in the 2017 Champions Trophy final when they beat the Men in Blue by 180 runs.
The two teams last faced off against each other in an ODI in the 2019 World Cup in England. India won the game by 89 runs via the DLS method. Rohit Sharma starred with the bat, scoring 140 off 113 balls.
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