India will play their 2023 Asia Cup campaign opener against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
If rain Gods permit, the fans will be treated to some exhilarating ODI cricket between two of the best teams in the world.
With so much to play for, The Sporting News has cast our eye over both teams' chances in the ODI.
India vs Pakistan predicted XI
Predicted XI for India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan have announced their playing XI for the match on Saturday.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (Captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
MORE: 'Like a war' - Makhaya Ntini dubs India-Pakistan rivalry
India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head in ODIs
The two teams have played 132 ODIs so far. India have won 55 of them while Pakistan have emerged victorious on 73 occasions.
Four matches ended with no result.
| Won | Lost | No result | |
| India | 55 | 63 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 73 | 55 | 4 |
MORE: Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi IN or OUT? Check the Pakistan XI to face India
India vs Pakistan betting odds
Despite, Pakistan's mammoth win against Nepal in their Asia Cup opener, India go into this game as slight favourites. India's odds of winning the match is currently 1.54, while Pakistan are 2.56 to win the match.
| Winning team | Odds (via Dafa) |
| India | 1.54 |
| Pakistan | 2.56 |
Bet here on India vs Pakistan cricket match and other cricket matches
India vs Pakistan 2023 ODI Prediction
An Indo-Pak encounter is always close to call, but it seems that India have the edge over their arch-rivals in this one.
But, Pakistan have all the ammunition to shock their bitter foes with the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi going all guns blazing.
They beat Nepal by a mammoth margin of 348 runs and they would be confident before facing the Men in Blue who will begin their campaign on Saturday afternoon.
Weather forecast in Kandy: What happens if India vs Pakistan is stopped by rain?
In case the match cannot be conducted due to a downpour, both teams will share a point each and Pakistan will qualify for the Super Four stage.
Having won their first game by a margin of 238 runs, they will be favourites to reach the knockout as group winners.
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