IND vs PAK: India captain Rohit Sharma meets his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam on eve of Asia Cup clash

Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam met each other ahead of the marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022.

India captain Rohit Sharma caught up with his Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam on the sidelines of a practice session ahead of the high-octane clash between both teams in Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai. PCB took to social media to share a video of the same thing, with the caption: '© meets ©'.

© meets ©#AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/OgnJZpM9B1

Earlier, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli was seen exchanging greetings with Babar. India will kick start its Asia Cup campaign with a high-octane game against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday (August 28). Hardik's duel with Pakistan's spinner Shadab Khan could be one of the deciding factors in the clash.

India will look ready to settle scores with Pakistan in the marquee Asia Cup match on Sunday. Rohit will be eager to test his ultra-aggressive batting template against the Asian giants. For Kohli, it will be the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last few years.

There would be a bigger picture also and that is to set the core combination for the T20 World Cup in Australia in order by the end of this tournament. With no bilateral contests between the cross-border neighbours for 10 years now and nothing on the anvil in the near future, the geo-political tension does always make for a heady build-up.

But the lack of regular games means that Indo-Pak rivalries are held between unfamiliar foes rather than familiar ones. One can't plan a lot against an opposition whom a team plays once or twice a year, while one has to expect the unexpected.

In the last meeting, India played Pakistan. They didn't have any idea how much Shaheen Shah Afridi had improved. The result was a 10-wicket defeat.