NEW DELHI: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly feels that the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup will be a 50-50 contest.In his column for the Times of India, Ganguly wrote, "India start their Asia Cup campaign with back-to-back matches and a lot of people are talking about the heat, which was pretty apparent when Sri Lanka played Bangladesh. It would have been tough if both were strong games but playing Hong Kong first, on Tuesday, hopefully won't be that difficult. Obviously the entire focus will be on India-Pakistan, who play twice in the group stages, and hopefully in the final. The way Sri Lanka fared in the initial match against Bangladesh, any other final would be an accident. India-Pakistan matches over the last 10 years have been pretty one-sided with India dominating, but since the Champions Trophy final last year, where Pakistan beat India, many are expecting the contest to be different and for me it will be 50-50. Pakistan are a good side, they look an improved team under coach Mickey Arthur . They have always produced talent but have lost their way over the years in harnessing and giving direction to that talent. It could be different now."India's regular captain and world-class batsman Virat Kohli has been rested for the competition to help his aching back after a gruelling tour of England."India will be without Virat Kohli. Yes, he is a huge pillar of strength but even without him this is a strong team. In the batting department, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are out-and-out match winners in this format. Virat's absence will also provide an opportunity to showcase talent because with the recent failure, the No. 4 and 5 spots will be up for grabs. Conditions will suit both sides. Pakistan will enjoy batting on flat pitches with no movement and they become more dangerous on such pitches than ones which assist fast bowlers. On flat pitches, one needs pace and this Indian bowling will be a handy one. Both Bumrah and Bhuvi can get it coming into the right-handers and, with low bounce on this pitch, batting will not be easy," Ganguly added.Ganguly expressed surprise that Rishabh Pant , who hit a century in the fourth innings chase against England at The Oval, was not included in the squad."It will be an important series for Dhoni. It seemed like he had lost his way in the ODIs in England and it will be important for him to show the selectors that he still has it in him to keep the scoreboard moving at a good pace. There's been a lot of talk about him getting stuck in ODI cricket and it will be important for him to reignite his hitting skills. I am surprised to see no Pant in the squad. The Asia Cup squad was selected before his Oval hundred and the way he batted in his last innings, I am sure he is ready for the ODI format as well. As, usual, there will be lot of hype about Wednesday's match, but for both the teams, it will be key to look at the entire tournament. Winning the Asia Cup, after all, is more important than just one game," Ganguly signed off.