Team India are the most successful side in Asia Cup history having won seven titles, winning the previous two edition back-to-back. Rohit Sharma's men will be looking to make it a hat-trick of Asia Cup titles but standing in their way will be arch-rivals Pakistan.
The two nations have been paired alongside each other in group A, and they're set to add another chapter to this historic rivalry as they cross swords on Sunday, August 25.
All eyes will be on Virat Kohli, Rohit, and KL Rahul as India's old guard return to play together after a long gap. Ahead of the T20I World Cup in Pakistan, the trio will be looking to fine-tune their chemistry throughout the Asia Cup.
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While Rohit will be eager to test his ultra-aggressive batting template against the Asian giants, for Kohli it will be the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last few years.
With no bilateral contests between the cross-border neighbours for 10 years now and nothing on the anvil in near future, the geo-political tension does always make for a heady build-up.
The last meeting India played Pakistan, they didn't have any idea how much Shaheen Shah Afridi had improved. The result was a 10-wicket defeat.
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However on Sunday, there will be no Afridi (due to knee injury) to bend it back into the top three India right-handers but the fact remains that despite all the experimentations done by coach Rahul Dravid, the top-order remains exactly the same after that debacle in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant-Rohit pair showed a lot of promise with their gung-ho approach and Suryakumar Yadav at the top looked menacing with his all-round strokes.
Deepak Hooda, although against Ireland, was audacious as an opener but with Kohli and KL Rahul available, it will be experience that will get first preference going into a high-profile game.
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In the new set-up, KL Rahul is coming back up after a surgery and COVD-19 related lay-off. He hasn't played a single international T20 game in 2022.
In the case of Kohli, the number stands at four with a half-century against a sub-par West Indies attack.
Rohit, in the interim, has played some attractive little knocks but more importantly has tweaked his batting philosophy as per the needs of the team.
Will Kohli and Rahul be able to do the same? That remains a big question moving forward.
With inputs from PTI
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