Hasan Ali thinks India will be under pressure after having lost their last ODI encounter against Pakistan, the Champions Trophy 2017 final, and that Virat Kohli’s absence will give his team an advantage in their Asia Cup clash.
With India-Pakistan matches being reduced to a rarity, any opportunity that the teams have of facing each other brings with it an added edge. Ali, who starred in that Champions Trophy final with 3-19 in 6.3 overs, believes playing at ‘home’ – the Asia Cup 2018 will be held in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan’s adopted home since 2009 – will give them an advantage.
“But it’s okay if he is not coming … I will look for him the next time. I wasn’t targeting Kohli only. We are not going to play only against India as there are other teams [in the tournament] as well.
“Our main focus is the entire tournament rather than winning one game and losing others. We have do well to beat every team and try to win the tournament.”
