Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to attend his country’s Asia Cup match against India on Wednesday in Dubai, according to Pakistan media reports. Imran, who is also a former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, left for his first foreign trip as prime minister on Wednesday and reports indicate that the watching the highly anticipated match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is on his itinerary.

This is the first time since 2006 that the two sides are facing each other in the UAE and the first India-Pakistan match since the Champions Trophy final in June 2017. Incidentally, Imran Khan was Pakistan captain for the majority of the matches played between the two teams in the UAE during the 1980s. Current skipper Sarfraz Ahmed said that Imran’s presence will be “great for the match as he has fans on both sides of the border.” “From Pakistan’s perspective, it will be nice feeling to see him amongst the audience as the Prime Minister of Pakistan as it will serve as an extra motivation for the side,” Sarfraz is quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

The India-Pakistan rivalry is considered one of the fiercest in the game of cricket. While the two sides have not played a bilateral series since 2013, they have met numerous times in multi-nation tournaments. Imran Khan, an all-rounder during his playing days, gave Pakistan its first World Cup title in 1992. He has featured in 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for his country.