Will rain play spoilsport in the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match?
India and Pakistan are all set to lock horns in the group stages of the 2023 Asia Cup on Saturday, but the highly-anticipated clash could be marred by rain. Heavy showers have been predicted for the match, which could either lead to a shortened match or in the worst-case scenario - no result.
Rain did make an appearance at the Pallekele International Stadium during the Group B opening encounter between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. However, it ended up being just a passing shower, and no overs were lost because of it.
Early images from the areas near the venue bring out some optimism as there is no rain so far, only a mild cloud cover making its presence.
India's last meeting with Pakistan at the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was also threatened by heavy rain, but the contest witnessed a full 40 overs as the Men in Blue sealed a thrilling win over their arch-rivals.
According to data from meteorologists, rain will definitely make an appearance in the clash, with even thunderstorms being highly predicted. However, the fate of the match will be down to the degree of precipitation it faces. A similar, yet less intensified forecast was made ahead of Sri Lanka's match against Bangladesh, but the match was carried out without any major hiccups.
Even if rain makes an appearance in the India-Pakistan encounter, one can only hope that the groundsmen can make an impact by covering the full outfield. While there are no hover covers or modern-day drainage facilities, a moderate level of rain could be handled to at least deliver a shortened game.
"They worked really hard to be No.1 and it'll be a good challenge for us" - Rohit Sharma on Pakistan's recent rise to the top
The upcoming clash between India and Pakistan is their first matchup in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. Rohit Sharma had scored a brilliant hundred en route to the Men in Blue's dominant win over their arch-rivals at Old Trafford, Manchester.
However, a lot has changed in four years. With Babar Azam taking over the team from Sarfaraz Ahmed, the Men in Green are a completely different outfit and are undisputable favorites for the 2023 Asia Cup as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Rohit Sharma branded Pakistan as an excellent white-ball team during the pre-match press conference.
"Rivalry is there for people to talk about. As a team, what we see is we have an opposition to play tomorrow and see what we want to do. What is going to help us is to keep doing the right things on the field. Pakistan have played really well in recent times in both T20Is and ODIs. They worked really hard to be No.1 and it'll be a good challenge for us tomorrow," the skipper said.
Cricket has trumped meteorology on several occasions in the past, and has been defeated by it on select times as well. Fans will be hopeful that the fickle nature of the weather goes their way this time around.
Who will win the upcoming contest between India and Pakistan? Let us know what you think.