The Asia Cup 2022 has arrived at the doorstep while the fans across India and Pakistan are eagerly waiting for the mouth-watering clash between the two giants of the game on Sunday. After almost a year, the two teams will square off against each other in a T20I game and the excitement levels are already shooting up.
The participants have arrived in the UAE for the much-awaited tournament and have begun their preparations. During the training sessions, players of all teams are coming across each other and are getting involved in little conversations. The videos of those meet-ups are surfacing on social media and are being loved by cricket fans.
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On Thursday night, the Pakistan Cricket Board shared a video on Twitter in which injured pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was seen catching up with the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul. The left-arm quick, who was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022 due to an injury, could be seen with knee braces while the Indian players asked him about his well-being.
The conversation between Pant and Afridi was a bit hilarious. The Pakistan bowler said, “Yaar main soch raha hu aapki tarah bas batting shuru kar du, ek haath se chhakke lagaau (I’m thinking of becoming a batter like you, start hitting sixes with a single hand).
Pant replied, “Fast bowler ho toh effort lagaana padega sir! Compulsory hai (If you’re a fast bowler, you have to put in efforts. It’s compulsory).
When asked about his expected recovery time, Shaheen said it would take around five weeks. The Pakistan pacer wished the Indian stumper all the best and said, “Good luck match ke liye, aaunga dekhne (Good luck for the game. I’ll come to see it).”
Stars align ahead of the #AsiaCup2022
A high-profile meet and greet on the sidelines pic.twitter.com/c5vsNCi6xw
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 25, 2022
While Pakistan will take the field without Afridi, India will also miss their seasoned pacer in Jasrpit Bumrah. The right-arm quick, along with Harshal Patel, is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.
The upcoming tournament will also provide a great opportunity for Virat Kohli to rediscover his lost batting mojo. He has been under fire for his massive slump. The ace Indian batter hasn’t scored a century across formats since November 2019 and questions are being raised over his place in the shortest format now.
The six teams are divided into two groups with India, Pakistan and a qualifying team in Group A and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan forming Group B. Each team plays the other once in the group stage with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super 4 round. The top 2 teams from Super 4 will qualify for the final.
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