India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023: Toss result and playing 11s for today’s match, umpires list and pitch report

Team India will take on Pakistan in match number three of the Asia Cup 2023 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. This will be the first match for the Men in Blue in the competition. Pakistan, on the other hand, featured in the tournament opener against Nepal in Multan, where they hammered the Asia Cup debutants by 238 runs.

The India vs Pakistan Group A clash will be the first meeting between the two teams since the thrilling 2022 T20 World Cup match at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In a sensational last-ball finish, Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 82 off 53 balls as India sneaked home by four wickets.

Pakistan have retained the same playing XI for the mega clash against Team India. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi’s battle against the Men in Blue batters could be a defining factor. Indian captain Rohit Sharma has also admitted that the Pakistan pacers would pose a challenge to India.

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Today's IND vs PAK toss result

India have won the toss and decided to bat first.

“There is a bit of weather around, but can't think much about it. Got to play good cricket, you need to embrace the challenge, embrace the situation,” Rohit Sharma said.

Shreyas Iyer is making his comeback from injury, while Shardul Thakur is part of the playing XI.

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IND vs PAK - Today's match playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav.

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

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Today's IND vs PAK pitch report

Sanjay Manjrekar describes the Pallekele surface as a high-quality and unique pitch. He adds that fast bowlers can get some seam, the spinners will get some turn, and a good batter can also score a century on this wicket. With DLS in the picture, the captain winning the toss might prefer to bowl first.

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Today's IND vs PAK match players list

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma.

Pakistan squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, Usama Mir.

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IND vs PAK - Today's match umpires

On-field umpires: Richard Illingworth, Ruchira Palliyaguruge

TV umpire: Paul Wilson

Match Referee: Javagal Srinath