Updated On: 02 September, 2023 07:55 AM IST | Kandy | R Kaushik
As Rohit Sharma & Co take on Pakistan in today’s high-voltage Asia Cup encounter, India’s focus will revolve around ironing out areas that had gathered wrinkles over the last year due to unavailability of several players

Skipper Rohit Sharma prior to India’s practice session at Pallekele yesterday. Pic/AP; PTI
In an ideal world, India and Pakistan will fight it out on the cricket field as just two regular opponents, with only the trappings that accompany a high-voltage sporting contest to contend with. This is far from an ideal world, of course, so subtexts are an inevitable fallout when these two proud sides run into each other, which is only increasingly sporadically these days.
On Saturday, when they line up at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium at the Asia Cup, it will be the first time since June 2019 that they will face off in a 50-over international. They have had skirmishes in the T20 game, both in the Asia Cup and the World Cup last year, but the freezing of bilateral action has contributed to this massive 50-month gap between ODIs.