Task cut out for Rohit, Gill and Kohli against Pak's pace trio

Pallekele: Virat Kohli won't mind an encore of that magical moment against Haris Rauf while Rohit Sharma would be ready with his answers for Shaheen Shah Afridi's banana inswingers in India's 'battle royale' against Pakistan, which will be more than just a World Cup dress rehearsal.

The Asia Cup has returned to the 50-over format to facilitate an ideal match preparation for five of the six participating teams but for organisers and the fans India versus Pakistan is not just another game, it is 'The Match'.

Kohli's lofted check-drive off Rauf under Melbourne skyline last year during the T20 World Cup became a part of Indian cricket fans' muscle memory while Pakistanis rejoiced when Rohit failed to negotiated a lethal tailing-in delivery from Shaheen and was caught plumb.

Such performances help players grow into legends and Saturday's Asia Cup game will be another opportunity for cricketers from both the sides to emerge as heroes.

However with steady rain predicted in the hilly Kandy region on Saturday, an anti-climax to a mouth-watering clash can't be ruled out.

The Indian team, which is yet to fit-in all the jigsaw puzzles will be hoping that their 'holy trinity' of skipper Rohit, peerless Kohli and his heir apparent Shubman Gill is ready to fight fire with fire against Shaheen, Rauf and the feisty Naseem Shah.

Overcast conditions and a bit of nip in the air is all that Shaheen and Naseem would need during the opening Powerplay to unsettle the Indian top three.

Especially Gill, who doesn't have a pronounced feet movement against pacers and uses his hands more with a technique that is more about beside the line of the ball rather than behind the line.

The puzzle surrounding Indian and Pakistani middle-order assumes significance. India's concern is accentuated primarily by the absence of KL Rahul, who will miss at least the first two Asia Cup games.

India might have decided to field wicketkeeper batsman Ishan Kishan in the middle-order against Pakistan but they are still undecided about his slot No. 4 or No. 5 but mostly the latter position.

Kishan's inclusion will certainly give the Indian batting unit a bit of variety for him being a left-hander. But the Jharkhand stumper has never batted at No. 5 in his India career and his average in middle-order is a meagre 22.75. So, he will have to cope with demands of that slot like maximising the run-making opportunities as he might not get too many overs to bat.

On the other hand, Pakistan does not have any injury concerns but they are one of the most undercooked ODI sides at the moment.

Since the 2019 World Cup, the 'Green Brigade' has played just 29 ODIs, whereas India have played 57 matches in the same period.

Pakistan have played 12 of those 29 matches this year as well. While their top three consisting captain Babar Azam (689 runs), Fakhar Zaman (593 runs) and Imam-ul-Haq (361 runs) have fired more often than not this year, there is an issue from No. 4 to No. 6.

Usama Mir, Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman have been largely inconsistent barring the odd flicker, and they looked anaemic on the days when Mohammad Rizwan, who bats at No.4, fails.

Often, Pakistan required No. 7 Iftikhar Ahmed and No.8 Shadab Khan to add a bit of heft to their innings. Iftikhar was promoted against Nepal and helped himself with an ODI hundred.

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 Bumraj, 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). (PTI)