India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and chose to bowl against Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super 4s encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, continuing a streak of tense exchanges between the two sides.
In a repeat of their league-stage meeting, Suryakumar once again refrained from shaking hands with Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, highlighting the lingering acrimony between the neighbours on the cricket field.
Both teams handed their line-ups to match referee Andy Pycroft, the Zimbabwean official overseeing the toss, who exchanged the sheets before the start of the match. India made two changes from their previous meeting, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy in place of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.
The Asia Cup has been overshadowed by political undertones following the military tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. In their first Group A clash, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets, dedicating the victory to the nation’s armed forces. Several Indian players echoed this sentiment on social media.
Pakistan’s camp, furious at what they deemed unsportsmanlike conduct, had considered withdrawing from the tournament, accusing Pycroft of condoning India’s behaviour. They delayed their match against the United Arab Emirates by an hour on Wednesday before proceeding after receiving an apology and an assurance of an ICC inquiry.
The Super Four stage now features India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, with the final scheduled for September 28. The high-stakes rivalry continues to dominate headlines, both on and off the field.
India’s playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (w), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
Pakistan’s playing XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.