Despite the two teams being traditionally the most fearsome on paper, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has pointed out that the Asia Cup has never seen an India-Pakistan matchup in the final. Notably, India has guaranteed their place in the ACC championship game, which will be played on September 17 on Sunday.
The winner will advance to the top match, pitting co-hosts Sri Lanka and Pakistan against one another in a simulated semifinal match. Cricketer-turned-broadcaster Chopra pointed out that Pakistan and India have never faced off in the competition’s final as the two teams prepare for the pivotal match.
“If we look at the match today, it has devolved into a straight shootout. Despite your best efforts, the history of this tournament indicates that an India-Pakistan final will not be possible, Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Notably, Sri Lanka last defeated the Men in Green in an ODI match in 2015. As a result, Sri Lanka needs to step up its game if it wants to compete in the ACC tournament’s championship game. If the match is called off or abandoned, Sri Lanka will advance to the championship game thanks to a higher Net Run Rate (NRR).
It seems to be an India-Pakistan match: Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra continued by saying that every effort was made to ensure that there were numerous India-Pakistan matchups during the competition. and emphasised that only the matchup between the bitter rivals received a reserve day, in contrast to the other teams competing for a spot in the Super Four stage.
“Who in your group did you keep? Nepal. Only two of the six teams were eliminated by you, and you also wanted to compete in the Super Four and the championship. Thus, it appears that this is an India-Pakistan event. No one else receives a reserve day, he said; only India and Pakistan do.
India
