Pakistan’s prolific batter Babar Azam will lead the Men in Green during match against India during the Asia Cup 2023 on Saturday in Kandy.
In the ODI format, Azam has played five times against India and has scored 158 runs at an average of 31.60.
However, the right-hander, who regularly scores fifties and hundreds in the 50-overs format, is yet to notch up a half-century against India. His highest score is 48, which came against the Men in Blue in the ICC World Cup 2019 in Manchester.
Azam also has a below-par strike-rate of 75.96 against India in ODI cricket.
Pakistan began their Asia Cup 2023 campaign on a high with a massive 238-run win over Nepal on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, India will kick start their tournament with the match against their traditional rivals Pakistan.
India have the upper hand against Pakistan with seven wins in 13 Asia Cup (ODI) matches. Meanwhile, Pakistan have won five with one match ending in no result.
Pakistan have also lost four of the last five matches against India in the Asia Cup, with their last win coming in Mirpur in 2014. It was the same match where Shahid Afridi hit two consecutive sixes against Ravichandran Ashwin in the last over to get Pakistan over the line.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 30 and September 17.
All the matches of Asia Cup will not be played in Pakistan because the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send their team to Pakistan due to security concerns.
Pakistan are in Group A alongside Nepal and India. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B.
Four matches will be played in Pakistan, while nine, including the final, will be played in Sri Lanka.
The T20 and ODI formats have alternated at the Asia Cup since 2016. The 2023 edition will be played in the 50-over format in order to help the teams prepare for the World Cup in India later this year.
India are the defending champions of the 50-over Asia Cup, which was last held in 2018.
- Babar Azam
