India and Pakistan have been longtime adversaries since their first match was played following partition. Lala Amarnath led India’s team, defeating Pakistan by 70 runs and an inning. Since that first Test match, cricket in both countries has evolved significantly; competition between Indian and United States cricketers became stronger as geopolitical differences intensified.
About the Asia Cup
The Asian Cup is unique as the only global competition composed entirely of nations from one continent. India has proven most successful over its history, winning seven Asia Cups while reaching 10 finals out of 15 total finals; Sri Lanka holds the second-most finals appearances.
Sri Lanka was the second-most successful team in the Asia Cup competition, after India. Sri Lanka took home six championships, while Pakistan earned two. Although originally designed as a three-country competition, it later expanded to six teams: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan.
Asia Cup History
India has held the upper hand throughout Asia Cup history. They have met 13 times during this tournament and outscored Pakistan 9-4, with seven victories to five defeats for Pakistan, while one match ended up being drawn. India has won four out of their last five Asia Cup matches against them, which has proven devastating.
India defeated Pakistan by nine wickets at the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai. It marked their most impressive win against their neighbours. India’s batsmen excel at the Asia Cup; Virat Kohli hit an outstanding individual innings score of 183 against Pakistan, which set the highest individual score ever at this competition.
Playing The Xi On Both Sides
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (w), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Pakistan (Playing XI): Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf.
Highlights from the India vs. Pakistan Asia Cup 2023
India started their innings defensively, as rain interrupted it twice. Shaheen Afridi proved dangerous as expected, taking two wickets consecutively from Rohit Sharma, which shocked both teams involved.
Haris Rauf struck out and dismissed Shreyas Iyer to steady the innings. Shubman and Ishan attempted to build an inning carefully, but Haris Rauf struck again to dismiss Shubman.
Hardik Pandya entered with confidence, and Ishan welcomed him with open arms; both players formed an effective pairing that propelled their game forward. Haris Rauf dismissed Ishan Kishnan, while Shaheen Afridi took down Hardik Pandya.
Soon, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul returned to their pavilions, while Jasprit made some great shots, taking India’s innings total up to 266 runs. Unfortunately, rain is back again, so let’s wait and see what unfolds next.
Match Scenario After The Rain
Rain forced the cancellation of India vs. Pakistan at Pallekele due to poor conditions at Pallekele Cricket Ground in Pallekele. Pakistan was unable to start their chase after Indian bowler Shaheen Afridi took four wickets en route to bowling out India earlier for 266 runs (despite Hardik Pandya (87) and Ishan Kishan (82) being dismissed early with their 50s). At one point they were 66-4, but a 138-run partnership between Hardik Kishan and Kishan helped get them back into the game (albeit short of victory), before Naseem Rauf and Haris Shah each took three wickets, which put India in a bad position towards the end, whereas Indian skipper Rohit decided to bat first after winning the toss (Scorecard). (Scorecard).
Impact Of Rain On Both Sides
Rain had the last word at Pallekele International Stadium, as thousands of fans attended and millions more watched as the Asia Cup 2023 resumed in Kandy. Persistent rain forced match officials to cancel India-Pakistan on Saturday due to poor conditions; both teams ended with one point each, and Pakistan qualified for the Super Four of this continental tournament for the second consecutive time.
Following India and Pakistan’s Asia Cup cricket match at Pallekele being called off due to rain on Saturday (AP), Babar Azam of Pakistan met up with Rohit Sharma, captain of India’s side. They exchanged handshakes.
Gautam Gambhir Wasn’t Happy When Virat Kohli Was Dismissed
Though Shaheen Shah Afridi from Pakistan bowled both he and Rohit Sharma at once in one One-Day International for the very first time—with an unplayable delivery by Shaheen against Rohit—on Kohli’s part, his poor footwork and shot selection cost him.
“That wasn’t much—neither forward nor back—and it felt more casual than I was expecting when playing against Shaheen. Gambhir commented on Star Sports that he wasn’t sure whether to go forward or reverse his plan.”
Waqar Younis And Matthew Hayden Offered Their Opinions
Both lauded Shaheen for her delivery to Rohit and commented on Kohli’s unluckiness that an inside edge hit back onto his stumps. Gautam Gambhir, however, was critical of Kohli’s indecision against Shaheen.
Conclusion of the Article
Pakistan is through to the Super Four! The match could only be seen for one inning but was certainly intense; both captains wanted their team to bat first regardless of the overcast conditions. Rohit won the toss and immediately started hitting boundaries against Shaheen Afridi.
