India and Pakistan will renew cricket’s most bitter rivalry this week after a one-year gap when they face off in the Asia Cup, a contest for regional supremacy which is also a final rehearsal for the World T20.
The biennial 12-day tournament, which is being held in Bangladesh for the second time in a row, begins tonight when the hosts take on Ind-ia at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla stadium – the venue for all the matches.
Local supporters will be looking to see if Bangladesh’s sharp improvement in 50-over cricket translates into an upturn in their performances in the shortest form of the game, with the World T20 in India only weeks away.
But most eyes will be on Saturday’s glamour tie when India and Pakistan take to the field together for the first time since last year’s World Cup match in Australia.
India-Pakistan showdowns usually draw hundreds of millions of television viewers, making it the biggest box office attraction in the sport. But diplomatic tensions have meant that the two teams have not played any bilateral series for more than three years and their rivalry is therefore restricted to multi-nation tournaments.
With the reigning champions Sri Lanka going through a rebuilding phase, most pundits expect India to cement their position at the top of the T20 world rankings ahead of the format’s premier tournament.
Confidence is high among Mah-endra Singh Dhoni’s men after rec-ent convincing T20 series victories over Australia and Sri Lanka.
Although India are likely to give most of their players a work-out in the build-up to the World T20, team director Ravi Shastri made it clear they would not be taking their foot off the pedal.
“Whether we play Bangladesh, Pakistan or Sri Lanka and wherever we are playing, we have to continue our good form,” Shastri said.
India’s star batsman Virat Kohli also quashed any suggestion that the team would be holding back with only a fortnight remaining for the World T20.
“When I go into field I go to play cricket with bat and ball, playing with Pakistan is not different. It’s competitive and Pakistan is a strong team,” Kohli said yesterday.
India are set to be without Dhoni for the Bangladesh opener after the skipper suffered a back spasm during a practice session on Monday.
But former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar acknowledged India would nevertheless start as tournament favourites after their recent successes.
“In the T20 format any team can beat anyone on a given day. Still, if we have to single out a team as favourites, I would say it is India,” he said.
