Both Pakistan and India recorded comprehensive victories against Hong Kong - as they were expected to - and with the format of the Asia Cup being what it is, this ensures that Thursday's match is of little consequence in the context of the tournament except to give one of the teams bragging rights going into the round-robin matches. That said, though, an India-Pakistan match always comes with its own pressures and expectations, and neither team will want to give away the initiative.
The two teams have played more often recently, and India have had the better of the exchanges, winning nine out of 14 since 2006. However, Pakistan turned the tables on them in the Kitply Cup a couple of weeks back, losing the league game but winning the final.
On paper India are the stronger team, with their batting, especially, looking in much better shape than Pakistan's. The home team's top order struggled against Hong Kong's limited bowling resources, and Shoaib Malik will want a much better performance on Thursday. Both teams, though, will gladly trade a defeat here for a win in the round-robin clash.
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