After the much-awaited Asia Cup schedule is out, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid acknowledged the buzz surrounding the possibility of playing against Pakistan thrice in the tournament and said his team would take the tournament “step by step,” focusing on one game at a time.
The schedule for the 2023 Asia Cup, co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, was announced on Wednesday with the iconic clash between India and Pakistan set for September 2 in Kandy.
There is a possibility of three potential encounters between India and Pakistan during the continental event if they progress to the Super 4s and ultimately make it to the final.
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“The schedule is out and you have to qualify for the Super4s to play Pakistan three times, so one step at a time. I don’t believe in counting my chickens too much. I want to play one game at a time,” said Dravid in a video posted by BCCI on Twitter.
David also highlighted that a showdown with Pakistan in the final would be an exciting contest, but he reiterated the importance for Team India to remain focused on taking one step at a time.
“We know we have to play Pakistan and Nepal in the first two games, we need to focus on that, we need to play good cricket, we need to win those games and then see where the tournament goes. If we get the opportunity to play them three times, I think that is fantastic, that means we reach the final of the tournament and hopefully Pakistan reach the final as well.
That will be a great contest and great for us and we certainly aim to do that, we certainly want to play right up to the final and win that final but we have to take the first two steps before,” Dravid added.
Pakistan, India, and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The six-nation tournament will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka under a hybrid model of hosting games. The tournament will start on August 30, when Pakistan takes on Nepal in Multan. The final will be held on September 17 in Colombo.
Four venues will be used for the 13-match competition. In Pakistan, Multan will host the tournament opener between Pakistan and Nepal on August 30 before the action shifts to Lahore for the remaining three matches.
Sri Lanka will use Kandy for the three first-round matches and Colombo for the five Super-4 stage fixtures and final.
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