India captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged the challenges coming ahead for his team in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 tournament. India will be opening their campaign in the continental event with a high-octane clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the third match of the tournament on September 2, Saturday. The Men in Blue are placed in Group A of the six-team tournament alongside Pakistan and Nepal.
The Indian cricket team had a six-day training camp in Alur, Bengaluru, where the batters faced left-arm net bowlers to counter the threat of Shaheen's incoming deliveries. The likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah are some faces the Indian team would want to be wary of in the match against Pakistan as the trio can be nightmares to many batters. During a press conference before the India vs Pakistan clash, Sharma was asked how they have prepared for the quality attack of Pakistan. The Indian captain replied that they don't have the likes of Shaheen, Rauf, and Naseem with them in the nets but have practiced with the bowlers that they had.
"Hamare Pass Shaheen, Rauf or Naseem nets me nahin hai. Hamare pass jo bowlers the unko lekar practice kar rahe the. Teeno kaafi quality bowlers hai. Kaafi acha perform kar rahe hai Pakistan ke liye kuch saalo se. Pakistan ke pass hamesha se quality bowlers rahe hai. Unke players ki jo strength hai, kaha bowl karte, hai humne dekha hai. Hum itne saal se khel rahe hai, itna experience hai to vo use karke khelna hai. (Look, in the nets, we don't have Shaheen, Naseem or Rauf. We practice with who we have. They are all quality bowlers. Pakistan is famous for pace bowlers and we will try to use our batting experience against them)," Sharma said in a press conference on the eve of the match.
