India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023: Rain threatens to spoil Super Four clash between arch-rivals; LIVE streaming and more

India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Super Four preview: India and Pakistan will hope the rain gods stay away for once, and that they get to play out a full contest when they lock horns in the third Super Four match of the 2023 Asia Cup on Sunday.

The arch-rivals, whose meetings in cricket are restricted to ICC and ACC events due to ongoing political tensions, shared points the last time they met during the group stage of the Asia Cup.

The famed Indian batting lineup had faced another stern test from the fiery Pakistan pace unit, and eventually managed to post a competitive 266 on the board. Erratic weather however, had kept the players and the umpires making frequent trips to the pavilion and kept the Pallekele groundstaff on their toes at all times.

The rain eventually turned into a downpour after the Indian innings came to an end, and ensured the Babar Azam-led side did not get to face a single delivery, resulting in what has been the only washout of the tournament so far.

Indian top-order once again in focus

The battle between the Indian top three and the Pakistan’s new-ball duo Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah will once again play a major role in deciding the outcome of the second meeting between the two sides. Pakistan pacers have dominated the Indian top order in several high-profile contests in recent years, including on Saturday when the Men in Blue had been reduced to 66/4 after opting to bat.

Afridi, additionally, sent out a warning to the Indian batters ahead of the Super Four clash, saying he was yet to deliver his best despite collecting 4/35 in the Group A encounter.

“I can’t say this has been my best spell so far. This is just the start and there will be many more, so the best is yet to come,” the 23-year-old left-arm quick said on the eve of the second Indo-Pak contest.

Rahul likely to make comeback

Before they face what is arguably the world’s best white-ball attack at present, the Men in Blue will have to make a crucial decision with regards to their lineup. Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul after all, is fit and raring to go and was seen keeping the wickets ahead of the Super Four outing.

Ishan Kishan vs KL Rahul: Whom should Team India persist with as keeper-batter in World Cup

Rahul has been out of action since suffering a thigh injury in the Indian Premier League, and had missed out on India’s group stage fixtures as he was yet to gain full match fitness. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper however, has been backed by the current team management as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter and the ideal candidate for the No 5 slot in Rishabh Pant’s absence, and should be an automatic pick on Sunday.

The dilemma for the Indian team though, is benching an individual who was their standout performer on Saturday and ensured the Men in Blue ended up posting a competitive total on the board. Ishan Kishan continued on from where he left off in the Caribbean, and posted his fourth ODI half-century on the trot in a superb counterattack in the middle overs.

Benching him certainly will be a very tough call, but there isn’t much the team management can do at the moment, unless they choose to sacrifice a seam-bowling all-rounder in Shardul Thakur in favour of an extra batter.

Rain threat looms large… again

Fans however, could be in for another day of disappointment with rain more than likely to make an appearance on Sunday and possibly play spoilsport in another meeting between the two South Asian rivals.

The forecast for Colombo on Sunday, according to Accuweather, has a 75 per cent chance of rain with thunderstorms expected later in the day. Thus, even if the match doesn’t end up getting washed out, the ground staff at the R Premadasa Stadium will likely have a busy day on the field and the players and umpires might end up spending more time in the dressing room than on the field.

The difference this time though, is the fact that the India-Pakistan Super Four encounter has been awarded a ‘Reserve Day’ — something that has not been allotted to other Super Four games, and took the Bangladesh and Sri Lanka coaches by surprise.

We bring you all the details regarding live streaming the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match:

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match date

The India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match will be played on 10 September 2023.

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match time

The India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match will start at 3 PM IST. The toss will take place at 2.30 PM IST.

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match venue

The India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match LIVE Streaming

The India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network and the live streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar. The Asia Cup is streaming free on mobile on Disney+ Hotstar.

India vs Pakistan head-to-head

In the Asia Cup played in ODI format, India and Pakistan have played 14 matches against each other with Men in Blue winning seven and Men in Green securing five victories. Two games ended in a ‘No Result’.

Overall in ODIs, India and Pakistan have played 133 games with Pakistan winning 73 and India winning 55.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), 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).