Why Star Sports deletes Asia Cup promo revealing Dhawan's bombastic '…don't lose to Pakistan' message for Team India
Shikhar Dhawan had long been ruled out of play for a spot in India's limited-overs squad. He was dropped from the T20I team in 2021 and then from the ODI team following a string of bad performances last year, enabling Shubman Gill to stake his claim as Rohit Sharma's partner ahead into the 2023 World Cup.
Dhawan, on the other hand, will play in the next Asia Cup, which begins later this month in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but in another role.
He will join Star Sports' broadcasting team as an expert, as announced in a video posted on Monday before being pulled from social media.
"Witness the passion and intensity of the mother of all rivalries, India vs Pakistan, through the eyes of @SDhawan25 and look what he has to say!" the caption reads.
The legendary India opener is seen discussing the upcoming high-octane showdown in Pallekele between Rohit Sharma's Men in Blue and Babar Azam's men. This would be the first encounter between the two rivals since India's dramatic T20 World Cup victory in Melbourne last year.
Speaking of the match, Dhawan reaffirmed an old adage among Indian cricket fans: don't lose to Pakistan, regardless of the World Cup result. He then discussed his experiences playing against Pakistan during his career.
"It's always been a matter of 'Whether or not you win the World Cup, don't lose to Pakistan' (laughs). But winning the World Cup is equally crucial, and with God's help, we should be able to do so.
While playing Pakistan, there is obviously enthusiasm, but also a lot of pressure. When the match is over, it's a pleasant feeling to have played against them. When I've played Pakistan, we've usually won.
The tension on the pitch is likewise intense, although there is some light conversation going on among them." He stated. However, Star Sports later pulled the video from their Twitter account.
What is India's schedule in Asia Cup 2023?
On September 2, India will start their campaign against Pakistan. The next day, they will go up against Nepal. On August 30, Pakistan will play Nepal in the first game of the event.
The Asia Cup will be held in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The main host of the tournament was India, but because of political tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian government didn't want to send the Men in Blue there.
Because of this, the ACC had to get Sri Lanka to host the tournament as well. Pakistan will host four games because of this.
The first game will be held in Multan, and Lahore will hold two group games and one knockout game. The rest of the games, including the final, will be played in Sri Lanka.