Rare India-Pakistan meeting in Asia Cup 'exciting' for Rahul

India's KL Rahul said on Friday his team is looking forward to playing Pakistan in a high-stakes Asia Cup clash this weekend with the arch-rivals only meeting each other in multi-nation events due to political issues between them.

The neighbours have not played a Test since 2007, instead facing off only in the shorter versions of the game and at multi-team competitions on foreign soil, rather than head-to-head series at home.

The T20 tournament begins on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates but fans await the blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan a day later.

"We are all very excited. As players we always look forward to this India-Pak clash as we don't play each other anywhere else but these big tournaments," Rahul told reporters.

"As we've seen there is a huge history, there has always been rivalry and the games have always been high intensity. As players we have always dreamt of playing India-Pakistan and it's a great opportunity for all of us to challenge ourselves."

Matches ignite great fervour but they have also defused military tensions between the two nations, which have fought four wars since independence from Britain in 1947.

Recently pictures and videos of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and India superstar Virat Kohli meeting on the sidelines of a practice session in Dubai went viral.

"We can't run away from the rivalry and emotion that comes through as a player," Rahul said.

"After the game or before, everything goes away you become normal people, learn from each other, share experiences, it's always been friendly."

An India-Pakistan match is always a big draw among cricket fans with millions expected to watch the match across the globe.

Pakistan outplayed India by 10 wickets in their previous meeting to bring the