‘The India-Pakistan match has always been a rivalry’ – Babar Azam entices fans ahead of mouth-watering Asia Cup clash

Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam in Asia Cup. (Photo Source: SURJEET YADAV/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan and India faced each other in a bilateral series more than 10 years ago. Since then, fans have had to wait for multi-nation tournaments to see the two arch-rivals collide. The two Asian giants are set to lock horns yet again in the upcoming Asia Cup which is going to be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India and Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside first-timers Nepal.

The cricket world will witness the highly-anticipated India versus Pakistan encounter on September 2 in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. Ahead of this mouth-watering clash, Pakistan captain Babar Azam noted that the India-Pakistan rivalry is great and something that the fans as well as players enjoy. He also mentioned that all the players give their 100 percent to get bragging rights over their rivals.

“The India-Pakistan match has always been a rivalry. The entire world experiences the match and enjoys it. Even we enjoy it a lot. I feel that the level of cricket is very good and competitive. Fans miss the India-Pakistan match and both teams always give their 100 percent,” Babar said on Star Sports.

Babar Azam is yet to fire against India in ODI cricket

It goes without saying that Babar Azam is one of the best players in modern-day cricket. While the Pakistan batter has staggering numbers in all three formats, ODI cricket has certainly been his forte. He averages a whopping 58.45 after playing 103 ODIs and he is the quickest to reach the 5000-run mark.

However, the 28-year-old has not been able to showcase his skills against the ‘Men in Blue’ as yet. In five ODIs against India, Babar has only scored 158 runs at an average of 31.60 and a strike rate of 75.96. He is yet to score a half-century in the 50-over format against India as his highest score is 48. Pakistan fans would hope that their talismanic captain would be able to lead by example when the two teams lock horns in the Asia Cup.