After weeks of brainstorming and discussion, the Asia Cup 2023 schedule was finally unveiled on Wednesday evening with Pakistan and Sri Lanka co-hosting the mega continental cricketing event. Team India will begin their captain against arch-rivals on September 2 in Kandy and there is a possibility that the two teams might face each other twice in a month’s time.
As per the schedule, both teams will square off against each other if they qualify for the Super 4s. They have been placed in Group A with Nepal and the top two teams will make it to the next level. The final of the tournament takes place on September 17 in Colombo and if India and Pakistan finish as the best teams in the Super 4s as well, they will be scheduled for their third meet-up in Colombo, in the grand finale.
Meanwhile, the Asia Cup 2023 fixtures have garnered a massive response from fans across the continent. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid also reacted to the announcement and said the team would be taking one game at a time.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the side’s second Test against West Indies, Dravid said the unit would want to focus on the first two matches and not think too much about the possibilities.
“The schedule is out. You have to qualify for the Super Fours to play Pakistan three times. One step at a time, I don’t believe in counting my chickens too much,” Dravid told reporters.
“I know we are going to play Pakistan and Nepal in the first two games, so we need to focus on that. We need to win those games and see where the tournament goes. If we get the opportunity to play them three times, it’s fantastic. That would mean we reach the final of the tournament and hopefully, Pakistan do too,” he added.
“It would be a great contest, and we certainly want to play right up to the final and win it. But we need to take the first two steps to do that,” Dravid said.
The teams will treat the Asia Cup 2023 as a dress rehearsal for the ICC World Cup, which begins in India in October. Rohit Sharma & Co will look to produce the best results, unlike the last edition (played in T20 Format) where they failed to make it to the finals after losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four. The latter won the title and are the defending champions.
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