Asia Cup: Pakistan team arrive in Kandy ahead of big clash against India

Pakistan warned up for the big match with an emphatic win over Nepal in their opening game in Multan on Wednesday

The Pakistan team arrived in Kandy on Thursday ahead of the much-awaited clash against India on September 2 in the Asia Cup 2023.

Pakistan warned up for the big match with an emphatic win over Nepal in their opening game in Multan on Wednesday.

Centuries by skipper Babar Azam, and Iftikhar Ahmed and fiery spells by Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf helped them crush Nepal by 238 runs in the tournament opener.

After clinching the victory, Pakistan left for Kandy after catching a late-night flight.

Pakistan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.

The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.

The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super Fours beginning September 6.

The final will be played by the top two teams at the end of the Super Fours on September 17 in Colombo.

Indian squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve).