Can Pakistan solve the India riddle in the Asia Cup?

Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal in Indian football. Canada vs the United States in women's hockey. Or even Barcelona vs Real Madrid in European soccer. All three have one thing in common - they are all famous rivalries. However, most pale in comparison to an India vs Pakistan duel in cricket. While the other participating nations in the Asia Cup might take umbrage with the aforementioned notion, the tournament is undoubtedly all about the two subcontinental giants taking on each other.

While the tournament kickstarted on Wednesday with the Men in Green inflicting a massive 238-run defeat upon minnows Nepal, the fierce contest of national identities will be renewed by India and Pakistan on Saturday. Showdowns on the cricket field between the two countries, like the expected encounter at Kandy, have become increasingly rare. In fact, even for a match to be held at all, though, at a neutral venue, both players and fans look up to the organisers so they can weather growing calls for a possible boycott.

Having said that, the mental resilience of Babar Azam and Co. will be put to the test on Saturday, as India has, in recent years, emerged as a more confident side in the nerve-wracking ties. Pakistan's world-class bowling attack will also have to be at its very best to stem the flow of runs against Rohit Sharma's India. It is no secret that India looks one of the strongest on paper but, as the cliche goes, cricket is not played on paper. The encounter is likely to be close but the Men in Blue head into the tournament as firm favourites with reliable power-hitters in the top seven.

So far, the Asia Cup has been relatively low key with the big fish taking on the minnows with predictable results. On Wednesday, Babar smashed a sublime 131-ball 151 to complete his 19th ODI century while Iftikhar Ahmed hit an unbeaten 109 in 71 balls as Pakistan piled up 342-6 in 50 overs, only to bundle out Nepal for a mere 104 in 23.4 overs.

While both India and Pakistan are guaranteed to progress to the last four, there is still plenty riding on the encounter. Both sides will be bringing back rested stars and it will be interesting to see where each belongs ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup.

India also has momentum on their side, having tamed a mighty New Zealand and later Sri Lanka earlier this year, sweeping both series at home. However, their potentially fragile batting line-up lay exposed at the hands of Australia a month later. More recently, they clinched a three-game series against West Indies with a 2-1 victory.

The explosive form of Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill have been exemplary in recent times and could be vital in the team's push for success. The keystone of the Indian team, though, has to be veteran big-hitter Kohli. If the former captain can reproduce the kind of batting he displayed last year against Pakistan, the side can look forward to a great tournament.

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Team India's batting may continue to be pegged around its star-studded top order to a great extent. But the good sign is that head coach Rahul Dravid has taken early cognizance of teething issues in the middle-order that need sorting out, and hopefully the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav will repay the trust shown on them.

The tournament remains Suryakumar's best chance to regain his touch and end the extended lean patch. In fact, much to the delight of the management, the 32-year-old has time and again shown he can fit into a varying degree of roles, and besides, has been given a free rein to rediscover his gully-cricket approach. With Iyer, who is coming off a serious back injury, India's middle-order troubles seem to be in sequence. He obviously has youthful aggression on his side, and that is enough to keep the runs coming thick and fast.

Then comes Hardik Pandya, the man for the big occasion. A supreme confidence in his abilities is allied to his all-round excellence for India's benefit. Similarly, Ravindra Jadeja's repertoire of spin variation makes him a very tricky customer to bat against as Babar will attest to. Complementing this bench strength is their strong bowling unit, featuring the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Yadav. The goal remains simple, that is, try as many options as possible, with consistency thrown into the mix.

The bowling unit would seek to capitalise on the frailty of Pakistani batters and it remains to be seen how the likes of Babar, Ahmed, and Imam-ul-Haq fare in their first encounter against India, although all permutations are set to fall by the wayside when the clock strikes 3 PM here.

Any India vs Pakistan showdown is often won more in the mind than on the field, with the technical play often being superseded by those willing to put their mind over matter. As so often happens in these titanic tussles, the encounter is as much about the will to win as it is about ability. Go, India!