‘I don’t believe in counting my chickens’: Rahul Dravid on India vs Pakan clash in Asia Cup

India, under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid, are set to lock horns against Pakan in September.
The Indo-Pak rivalry is one of the most intense in the world and the two heavyweights will collide in the 2023 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.
India and Pakan are both in Group A, and their match is scheduled to be played on September 2.
Speaking before the second Test against West Indies, Dravid, who was also the head coach of the side during the last year’s Asia Cup, said that he would approach the tournament one step at a time and noted that playing Pakan in the final would be a “great contest”.
“The schedule is out and you have to qualify for the Super4s to play Pakan three times, so one step at a time. I don’t believe in counting my chickens too much. I want to play one game at a time,” said Dravid.

🎥 With the #AsiaCup2023 fixtures announced, here’s what #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid said 🔽 pic.twitter.com/ycEWukD5zW
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 19, 2023
“We know we have to play Pakan and Nepal in the first two games, we need to focus on that, we need to play good cricket, we need to win those games and then see where the tournament goes. If we get the opportunity to play them three times, I think that is fantastic, that means we reach the final of the tournament and hopefully Pakan reach the final as well.”
“That will be a great contest and great for us and we certainly aim to do that, we certainly want to play right up to the final and win that final but we have to take the first two steps before,” he added.
Pakan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Group B comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanan. Except for Nepal, the other five nations have qualified for the Cricket World Cup in India, starting in October.