Pakistani cricket enthusiasts are brimming with optimism for their team's victory against India as the two formidable South Asian teams prepare to face off in the highly anticipated Asia Cup match in Sri Lanka today, on Saturday.
Pakistan's confidence is soaring after their recent 3-0 whitewash of Afghanistan, propelling them to the pinnacle of the one-day international rankings. The Green Shirts are setting their sights on surpassing their arch-rivals, relying on their top-tier pace trio consisting of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah.
India, on the other hand, will rely on captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik Pandya to accumulate as many runs as possible in this blockbuster match, anticipated to draw millions of viewers worldwide. Despite the longstanding rivalry between the two nations, both Azam, who leads the ODI batting rankings, and Kohli have exchanged mutual praise.
Arab News interviewed numerous fans in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, who expressed admiration for both teams but remained hopeful for Pakistan's triumph in Saturday's encounter.
Shabbir Ali Adnan, a chartered accountant, confidently remarked, "Now I can speak with assurance about this team because the teams we watched during our childhood would often face defeat, but this time, we can confidently say that, God willing, we can achieve a resounding victory