'This Team is Good...': Sourav Ganguly Picks The Favourites For India vs Pakistan Clash at Asia Cup 2023

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has picked the Indian team as his favourites to beat neighbours Pakistan in the high-octane clash between the two teams in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.

The legendary cricketer who celebrated his 51st birthday on July 8 (Saturday), feels that given the past record between the two teams, the Men in Blue will enter the continental tournament as the favourites.

After months of speculation regarding Pakistan’s participation in the Asia Cup, finally, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) found a way to get both India and Pakistan on board by splitting the hosting duties with Sri Lanka.

Pakistan will host four matches while Sri Lanka were given nine matches.

Rohit Sharma’s men are likely to play at least twice against Babar Azam and Co. once during the group stage, and then in the Super 4 round – should both teams qualify for it.

“India will always be the favourite in bigger tournaments. History says that. We have always had the better of Pakistan. But this Pakistan is a good team,” Ganguly told RevSportz.

After the Asia Cup showdown, the two cricketing rivals are set to faceoff at least once during the group stage of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, however, Ganguly is hoping to see the battle between India and Pakistan in the ODI World Cup semifinal at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata too.

“I hope so (India vs Pakistan semifinal in Kolkata). We are extremely happy to have five matches at the Eden Gardens. I must thank the BCCI and Jay Shah for giving us the semi-final,” said Ganguly.

The legendary opener also highlighted that the capacity of the iconic stadium in the City of Joy would be increased to fit around 1 lakh spectators in the next couple of years.

“Eden Gardens is a great venue – 60-70,000 capacity, and that also plays a huge role. We will upgrade it to around 100,000 in the next two years,” Ganguly revealed.

The semifinal fixture at the Eden Gardens will be played on November 16, followed by the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 which will be played on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.