Asia Cup: Pakistan win toss, elect to bat against India

India made two changes to the playing XI, bringing in Bumrah and Pandya

india-pak-asia-cup-afp Indian and Pakistani players line up for the national anthem just before the start of the ODI match during the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium | AFP

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat against India in a Group A game of the Asia Cup in Dubai.

India made two changes to the playing XI, bringing in Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya for Shardul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed.

Pakistan retained the team which played against Hong Kong.

Both the teams opened their campaigns in the tournament in contrasting fashion. While Pakistan steamrolled Hong Kong by eight wickets, India overcame some nervy moments to win their first match against the same opponents by 26 runs yesterday.

The fact that India and Pakistan don't play each other, except in multi-nation tournaments at neutral venues because of political tensions between the countries, makes every encounter between them a hugely anticipated one. The last one was in the Champions Trophy final last year, when Pakistan thrashed India by 180 runs.

The two teams are playing against each other for the first time in the UAE since 2006.

Teams:

India:

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, M.S. Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Pakistan:

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper/captain), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan.

(With PTI inputs)