Haris Rauf leaves Virat Kohli in splits with his 'I hear your name' remark - WATCH

The top Asian nations are aiming for a solid showing in the continental competition, which began on Wednesday with Pakistan's triumph over Nepal in the Asia Cup's first match. Team India will fight against Pakistan on Saturday, September 2, 2023. Both countries are favourites for the epic confrontation as they compete for the regional crown before the ICC ODI World Cup in October.

3 things you need to know 

• IND vs PAK  will be India’s first match in the Asia Cup 2023
• Sri Lanka won their first match against Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka won the last edition of the Asia Cup beating Pakistan in the final

Also Read: India Vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Live Updates

Team India and Team Pakistan participated in a joint practise session

Players from both teams took part in a combined practice session beneath the brilliant floodlights in preparation for the eagerly anticipated Asia Cup 2023 matchup between bitter rivals India and Pakistan. Since their historic 2019 match, they had not played one One-Day International (ODI) match before this one. With impressive triumphs in the Asia Cup Super Fours last year and a commanding 10-wicket victory in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Pakistan has established itself as a strong opponent for India in Twenty20 Internationals under the direction of Babar Azam. Babar's team dominated Nepal with a commanding 238-run victory in their opening match to get this tournament off to a strong start.

The match between Pakistan's fearsome bowling three of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf and India's star-studded batting lineup provides an enthralling undercurrent to this India-Pakistan match. India's batsmen experienced considerable difficulty in their last match at the 2022 T20 World Cup, ending up at 31/4. But Virat Kohli's masterful play led India to an incredible 160-run chase. A moment that will go down in cricket history was when Virat Kohli hit two stunning sixes against Haris Rauf at the conclusion of his innings.

Also Read: 'He Was Hyper': R Ashwin Recalls How Rahul Dravid Got Super Excited In T20 World Cup Match

IND vs PAK: Haris Rauf rendered Virat Kohli speechless

The matchup between Virat Kohli and Haris Rauf has garnered a great deal of attention from fans and analysts in the hours leading up to this highly anticipated match. Notably, during their joint practice session, Haris Rauf appeared to make a reference to the memorable sixes that Virat Kohli had hit against him in a previous match. A conversation between the two players on the training pitch overheard Haris saying, "Jidhar se guzarta hu na, Kohli-Kohli hota hai" (Wherever I go, I hear your name), presumably acknowledging the frequent questions he receives about Kohli's extraordinary sixes.

Pakistan and India players meet up ahead of Saturday's #PAKvIND match in Kandy ✨#AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/iP94wjsX6G

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 1, 2023

Both parties talked about upcoming one-day international tournaments, particularly the ODI World Cup in India this autumn. Haris then reminisced about their net sessions in Sydney during India's 2018/19 Australia trip, which marked the end of their conversation. An adorable photo of Kohli embracing up with Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi has gone viral. Babar Azam asked about Rohit's family as he was conversing with Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Sharma was also present. Moreover, Mohammed Siraj and Haris Rauf were overheard talking about strategies for bowling in one-day internationals.