Skipper Rohit Sharma brushed aside talk of Pakistan but hinted India could make changes to their starting line-up to deal with their threat once they have assessed the wicket conditions in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong on Tuesday.
The six-time champions begin their quest for another Asian title at Dubai International Stadium when they take on minnows Hong Kong in Group B.
However much of the talk in the build-up since the draw was revealed was another installment of cricket’s fiercest rivalry when India take on Pakistan at the same venue on Wednesday.
But for Team India, the focus is purely on Hong Kong although Rohit admitted the wicket, which has been just laid for the tournament, will give them a better idea of whether they need to make any adjustments for the eagerly-anticipated tie.
“Right now, we are not focusing on Pakistan because tomorrow we are playing Hong Kong,” Rohit told media at Dubai’s ICC Academy. “Obviously we have to focus on that particular team but once we finished with Hong Kong game, we will look at Pakistan and see what their strengths and weaknesses are.
“For us, we haven’t played here (in the UAE). The last time we played here was during the 2014 IPL. It’s been a long time since we played in this particular venue (Dubai International Stadium) so tomorrow is a perfect chance to assess the conditions and wicket, dimension of the ground. It is important to consider all that and put that into the game.
“From what I saw of the two games so far (in this tournament), the wickets doesn’t look that bad. We know it will get slower and slower as the game progresses. It might mean we have to adapt to that and based on the conditions we may have to play our starting 11 like that.”
