The highly competitive Asia Cup 2018 got underway today in the UAE; on the eve of the tournament opener the captains were present at the trophy unveiling event and interacted with the media.
While the journalists, camera persons and other officials were preparing to get the presser underway, three captains – Rohit Sharma, Sarfraz Ahmed and Mashrafe Mortaza – engaged in a friendly chat discussing some of the off-field happenings.
In the conversation, the Pakistan skipper even went on to question if the banned cricketer (Sabbir) doesn’t want to get a girl and get married, as he continues to face disciplinary issues? While Rohit suggested Mortaza that he should control the player, the Bangladesh captain went on to reveal that the player had most recently beaten a child.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb6_gYQeNTs
Later, when the cameras turned on, the captains were asked about their preparations and plans. Rohit was of course posed with a question about the India vs Pakistan match and he said, “I am sure everyone is looking forward to it, but we will just focus on the match at hand. It is always exciting to play Pakistan, they have been great lately and have played very good cricket.
He also mentioned that all the teams want to use this tournament as a preparation for the World Cup that will be played next year.
“Every team wants to go to the World Cup in a good frame of mind. But we shouldn’t be looking too far ahead. Obviously the Asia Cup gives every team an opportunity to get the combination right before the World Cup,” the Indian stand-in skipper mentioned.
India will begin their campaign in the tournament against Hong Kong on September 18 and they meet arch-rivals Pakistan the next day.
