Asia Cup 2022: India announce playing XI for match against Pakistan

The much-awaited blockbuster of the Asia Cup– the India vs Pakistan game – is just minutes away as the two teams are set to clash for the first time since the T20I World Cup 2021 which took place at the same venue. The Men in Blue are all geared up as India has announced the playing combination for the mouth-watering contest.

India and Pakistan will lock horns in the first fixture of Group A and both teams would eye for a win. The Men in Blue, who faced a heartbreaking defeat last time the two sides met, during the T20 World Cup 2021, will look to plot the perfect act of revenge to move on from the loss. Both the teams are in good form in the white-ball format currently, and it would be a thrilling contest, like always. India have won the toss and elected to bowl first.

The top-order lineup remains the same, from what it was when the two teams met previously. Skipper Rohit Sharma and his deputy KL Rahul will play in the opening slots. Virat Kohli completes the top-order lineup as he is all set to play his 100^th T20I, also becoming the first Indian player to represent the team in 100 games across all formats.

Sharma said that Rishabh Pant unfortunately misses out and thus Dinesh Karthik will be keeping the gloves. The in-form Suryakumar Yadav also constitutes India’s middle-order lineup, who recently hit a ton against England in the 20-over format, becoming just the fifth Indian player to do so. Yadav was a part of India’s combination in the previous clash as well, whereas this would be a major outing for Karthik.

A strong bowling assault to tackle Pakistan

It’s then Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja who have been included in the XI and will be in charge of the all-rounders’ department. Pandya marked his return to international cricket after a prolonged injury break in June and has become a regular on the Indian side ever since, contributing equally with the bat and the ball. Jadeja, the spin-bowling all-rounder, will look to keep his good form going.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh and pacer Avesh Khan have been named in the XI as they complete India’s lineup. It’s a mix of experienced and young faces, and it would be interesting to see what lies ahead of the balanced bowling attack.

India’s Playing XI against Pakistan: Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Captain @ImRo45 has won the toss and we will bowl first against Pakistan.

A look at our Playing XI for the game.

Live – https://t.co/o3hJ6VNfwF #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/O0HQXFQzC4

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 28, 2022