Asia Cup 2023: Virat Kohli meets Haris Rauf ahead of blockbuster clash in Pallekele, pic goes viral

Ahead of the mega clash between India and Pakistan in the ongoing Asiak Cup 2023, star batter Virat Kohli was spotted interacting with Haris Rauf in Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy. Notably, the duo share a unique moment from T20 World Cup 2022, when Virat hit two tremendous sixes off Rauf in the penultimate over to help India get closer to the mighty target.

Since then, Rauf went on to say that it was only possible for Virat to hit those two sixes, and for the first time since that game, the two cricketers have met. Both were spotted greeting each other with a huge smile as the video of the same has gone viral on various social media sites.

Notably, in the opening game of the Asia Cup, Pakistan thrashed Nepal and with that, they have moved an inch closer to the Super Four stage. Skipper Babar Azam hit 151 runs while Iftikhar Ahmed hit his maiden ODI century in the match, and hence, the Men in Green will be extremely confident of their chances against India.

Also see: Most Runs in Asia Cup 2023

Shaheen Shah Afridi wreaked havoc with the ball, picking up two wickets in the first over of the second innings, while Shadab Khan picked up four. Overall, the number-one-ranked ODI team are in an ideal position at the moment.

Coming to India, Shreyas Iyer is all set to make his return to the playing XI. The middle-order batter was out for a long time, and now, with him making his return, the number four issue is likely to get resolved. However, there still remains one issue that the team management needs to address immediately.

KL Rahul has been ruled out of the first two matches, so Ishan Kishan is expected to feature in the playing XI. However, with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma available, Kishan’s batting position is in dilemma. If he opens, the team will have to change the entire combination, which can create some issues. Hence, the southpaw is likely to bat at number five, something that he isn’t habituated to. Hence, this is one issue that the team management needs to sort out immediately.