India vs Pakistan weather forecast, Asia Cup 2023: Will rain spoil blockbuster clash in Pallekele?
India face Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2023 opener, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele on Saturday. Both sides don’t play against each other often, and whenever they do, emotions run wild, stadium tickets are sold out, and the matches are often filled with controversies.
India are entering the tournament with a full-strength side, and just completed a camp in Bengaluru and head coach Rahul Dravid seems confident with his squad, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer returning.
The tournament will also be a preparatory event for the upcoming ODI World Cup, which will be held in India this year. Despite boasting a strong side, India’s lack of ODIs could prove to be a decisive factor in their Asia Cup opener.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have already played a match in the tournament, when they defeated Nepal by 238 runs in the competition opener on Wednesday, in Multan. Defending a target of 343 runs, Pakistan bowled out Nepal for 104 in 23.4 overs, as Shadab Khan bagged a four-wicket haul, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi scalped two dismissals each.
Initially, Pakistan posted 342/6 in 50 overs, courtesy of tons from captain Babar Aam and Iftikhar Ahmed. Babar smacked 151 runs off 131 balls and Iftikhar slammed an unbeaten knock of 109* runs off 71 deliveries. Meanwhile, Sompal Kami took two wickets for Nepal.
According to Google Weather, rain could play spoilsport in India’s Asia Cup opener. There is a 56-78 percent chance of rain during the game, and strong cloud cover is expected throughout the day. Temperature is predicted to be around 25 degrees Celsius, with 92 percent humidity in the starting stages of the match. There could also be 68 percent precipitation an hour before the match, so we could see a wet outfield.
Both sides will be aiming to clinch a victory in this famous rivalry. In terms of head-to-head, they have faced each other 136 times in ODIs, with Pakistan claiming victory on 73 occasions and India coming out on top in 55 matches.