Asia Cup 2023: Group A, PAK vs IND: Kishan & Pandya shine in abandoned game; Pak through to Super 4

Asia Cup 2023: Group A, Pakistan vs India: Ishan Kishan-Hardik Pandya's 138-run stand, Shaheen Shah Afridi's 4-35 are top performances from rain-abandoned game. Match draw, Pakistan through to Super 4.

Pandya, Kishan added 138-run for 5th wicket stand (Images: ©ICC/Twitter)

Brief scores: India 266 (Hardik Pandya 87, Ishan Kishan 82, Shaheen Shah Afrid 4/35); no result

The high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 at Pallekele was called off due to rain. After India were bowled out for 266, constant drizzle and wet outfield forced the match to be called off. With this result, Pakistan are through to the Super Four stage, while India needs to beat Nepal to qualify.

Talking points from India vs Pakistan, Group A Game

Of late, India’s decisions in relation to toss and team combinations have been questionable. It was evident again in the 2023 Asia Cup India vs. Pakistan clash when skipper Rohit Sharma chose to bat first on winning the toss. However, it was certain that rain would play spoilsport, and chasing is better when the Duckworth Lewis method comes into play.

Again, the match exposed the weaknesses of India’s batters against left-arm pacers. Rohit and Kohli fell to the guile and skill of Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who exploited Rohit’s weakness against the ball moving into him. India batters also struggled against other Pakistan pacers, especially Haris Rauf, who picked up three wickets. Rauf went for runs, but his pace was too hot for India batters to handle. Naseem Shah was also bang on with his accuracy, picking up three wickets.

Read More: Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK: Virat Kohli, the proven star vs Babar Azam, the rising star

India recovers to post 266

India’s innings can be divided into three phases – a top-order collapse, a recovery in the middle overs, and Pakistan finishing off the tail. Surprisingly, India captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first in a match forecasted to be affected by rain. And the decision backfired, with India losing four wickets within the first 15 overs. Captain Rohit was the first to depart for 11 when he was bowled by his nemesis Shaheen Shah Afridi. The Pakistan left-arm pacer then got Virat Kohli to play down for 4. Shreyas Iyer, returning after an injury, fell again, pulling a short ball for 14. India’s innings was in tatters when Haris Rauf rattled the stumps of Shubman Gill for 11.

Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya then came together to resurrect India’s innings with 138 runs for the fifth. The two played sensible cricket to help India gain momentum in the middle overs and hope of putting up a fighting total.

But as India looked to accelerate, Kishan fell to a mistimed shot for 82. Afridi then got Pandya to spoon a catch to a slower ball for 87. The innings then folded for 266, with Jasprit Bumrah playing a small cameo of 16. Afridi was the best bowler for Pakistan, taking 4/35.

Let’s scan the top performances between India and Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup

Hardik Pandya scored a solid 87 runs (Images: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Pandya-Kishan’s 138-run stand for the fifth wicket

India was in trouble at 66/4 when Hardik Pandya joined Ishan Kishan in the middle. The two played sensible cricket to calm things down and then stitched a stand of substance to give the innings the necessary momentum. The best part of Kishan’s 82-run knock was that he played positive cricket even though India had lost four wickets. He punished the bad balls, playing the upper cut over the third man, flicking a short ball for sixes, and playing straight drives against the spinners for boundaries. Pandya took his time to settle down but gave good support to Kishan.

He rotated the strike brilliantly and restrained himself until India recovered a bit to play his big shots. During this stand, they were also helped by some poor fielding by Pakistan fielders as they let slip boundaries and dropped a few half chances. Nevertheless, Pandya and Kishan posted a stand they should be proud of.

Read More: Ind vs Pak Asia Cup stats: Rohit Sharma top run-getter, Virat Kohli boasts best individual score

Afridi sent Kohli and Rohit back in his opening Spell (Images: ©ICC/Twitter)

Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 4/35

Shaheen Shah Afridi has had the better of Rohit whenever the two teams have played. And this time, it was no different. Rohit was cautious in playing Afridi, but the Pakistan left-arm pacer set Rohit beautifully. After bowling two deliveries that moved away, he got the third one to nip in and take the top of the off-stump to bowl Rohit. He then dismissed Virat Kohli, unsure about the movement, and got a thick inside edge onto his stumps. Later, Afridi came on to bowl the deathovers to wrap things up. He foxed Pandya with a slower ball as the Indian all-rounder mistimed a shot to give a straight catch to mid-off. Next, sensing that Jadeja was looking to up the ante and score a few quick runs, he bowled full and wide, and the Indian all-rounder did the rest, by nicking it behind. Afridi was accurate with his line and length and outthought the opposition batters with his skills.

Read More: Asia Cup 2023, IND vs PAK: The rivalry of pace - Jasprit Bumrah vs Shaheen Shah Afridi

What next

India will play Nepal next Monday and must win the match to qualify for the Super Four stage. Pakistan is through to the Super Four stage with 3 points.

Asia Cup 2023 Group A Points Table

Pakistan qualify for Super 4

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