<p>Pakistan is a powerful team, and Indian star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin thinks it would be tough to overcome them in the continental competition because of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s steady play.<img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-153965″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/theindiaprint.com-1689224247-6596-11zon-750×422.png” alt=”theindiaprint.com 1689224247 6596 11zon” width=”1651″ height=”929″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/theindiaprint.com-1689224247-6596-11zon-750×422.png 750w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/theindiaprint.com-1689224247-6596-11zon-768×432.png 768w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/theindiaprint.com-1689224247-6596-11zon-390×220.png 390w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/theindiaprint.com-1689224247-6596-11zon-150×84.png 150w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/theindiaprint.com-1689224247-6596-11zon.png 826w” sizes=”(max-width: 1651px) 100vw, 1651px” title=”The team to beat in the 2023 Asia Cup is Pakistan: Ravichandran Ashwin 3″></p>
<p>According to Ashwin, who identified India and Pakistan as the tournament favorites, “If Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan consistently dish out performances with the bat, Pakistan will be one hell of a team heading into this Asia Cup and the World Cup.” Given Pakistan’s exceptional squad, it will be difficult to defeat them.</p>
<p>against Saturday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka, the third game of the tournament will see Pakistan taking against India. The past three one-day internationals between India and Pakistan have been victories for India.</p>
<p>Ashwin believes that Pakistan’s squad has excellent depth, which sets them apart from other teams competing in the Asia Cup.</p>
<p>“It all depends on the depth of their (Pakistan’s) team. Pakistan has consistently produced world-class cricketers. They have always produced an amazing number of pacers because of their tape-ball cricket. Additionally, their batting has been better in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” Ashwin pointed out.</p>
<p>But the main factor in their resurgence over the last five or six years has been the exposure they have received from several (T20) competitions. The PSL (Pakistan Super League) is another option. Furthermore, there were at least 60 to 70 Pakistani players selected in the most recent BBL (Big Bash League) selections,” he said.</p>
<p>In Multan, Pakistan will play Nepal in the tournament’s first match.</p>
