India will face Pakistan in what would be the second match of the group stage for both teams on Sunday, September 14.
Heading into the clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan boasts a 2-1 record at the venue against India, including their famous 10-wicket win in the T20 World Cup, 2021.
In recent years, India has dominated its arch-rivals, winning 7 of the last 10 matches across formats, whereas Pakistan has only won twice.
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However, the Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel has shown cautious optimism around the Asia Cup face-off in Dubai and praised Pakistan's T20 approach in recent months.
Morne Morkel shows cautious optimism for Pakistan clash
The Asia Cup defending champions India will return to international cricket for the first time on Wednesday.
Ahead of their opener against the UAE, the Indian team started off with extensive training sessions in Dubai's ICC Cricket Academy from Friday.
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Former South African player and current India bowling coach Morkel cited Pakistan's recent success in the West Indies and the tri-series and praised their change in approach.
"They’ve come a long way with their cricket and have been playing a nice brand of cricket of late. We are excited for the challenge and definitely won't be taking them lightly," said the bowling coach.
"But for us, the focus is on what we can control — our intensity, our execution. Yes, we’ll analyze their strengths and weaknesses, but at the end of the day it is bout the brand of cricket we want to play," he concluded.
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India will face a Pakistan team without Babar Azam and Rizwan
While Pakistan have opted not to pick their experienced campaigners in Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the tournament, the young team led by Agha Salman will look to upset the world champions.
On the other hand, India looks like a settled unit that only needs a tweak or two, considering the team they have opted for — after the recent success in England, Test captain Shubman Gill is highly likely to stage his return to the shortest format as a vice-captain.
The two teams have been grouped alongside the UAE and Oman in Group A of the eight-team competition, while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong are in Group B.
The tournament begins on Tuesday night, with Afghanistan scheduled to face Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
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