From the 12 completed India versus Pakistan matches at the Asia Cup, here is a look at the top five contests that are etched in the memory of cricket fans.
India and Pakistan will face off on September 2 in Pallekele during the 2023 Asia Cup, adding a new chapter to one of the most fabled battles in sporting history. The archrivals have locked cornucopias at the international event since 1984, when Sunil Gavaskar’s men brushed away Zaheer Abbas and co. by 54 runs in Sharjah.
From the 12 completed India versus Pakistan matches at the Asia Cup, then’s a look at the top five contests that are etched in the memory of justice suckers.
With Pakistan demanding 10 runs to win off the last over, Shahid Afridi smashed two successive sixes off R. Ashwin to seal a thrilling one- gate palm with two balls to spare. In an violent contest which retrograded and flowed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked two lattices in a three- run penultimate over to put Pakistan on the backfoot. Ashwin had Saeed Ajmal sailed with a carrom ball off the first delivery of the final over before Afridi wound the timepieces back, putting Pakistan over the line with his power hitting.
It was a clash which epitomised the Indo- Pak contest. Shoaib Akhtar had an altercation with Harbhajan Singh after firing in a bouncer off the last delivery of the penultimate over. A well- settled Suresh Raina was run out trying to steal a bye and India was left with six demanded off four balls. An Akhtar misfield coming ball handed Praveen Kumar a couple, and when three were demanded off two balls, Harbhajan gave India double of what was demanded with a incurious swipe, off Mohammad Amir, which cleared the midwicket hedge. Harbhajan roared in the direction of Akhtar, who tried to play down India’s sensational three- gate palm by looking down dismissively.
The number 183 is a save for Indians who have captained the Indian platoon. It’s Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni’s loftiest ODI score, and it also came Virat Kohli’s during India’s six- gate palm while chasing a mammoth 330. India’s launch to the chase was marred by Gautam Gambhir’s two- ball duck before Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli put on a 133- run cooperation off just 115 balls to put the platoon on course. Rohit Sharma also joined the party with a composed 68 to put India in sight of a notorious palm. With just 12 demanded for palm, Kohli fell plaintively short of conducting the finishing traces, but his blitz had irrevocably downsized the opposition and scripted India’s loftiest successful ODI run- chase at the time.
Pakistan may have earned a clinical palm, but India surfaced as the happier side as it managed to avoid giving its archrival a perk point. The cut- off for a perk point in the event was a 60- run palm, and India demanded two from the last two deliveries to reduce the deficiency to 59 and salvage a point. Anil Kumble and Lakshmipathy Balaji failed to put club on ball off Mohammad Sami but sneaked two byes, which were enough for a perk- point- saving 59- run defeat. Shoaib Malik would have had mixed passions after he starred with a flourishing 143 and picked two lattices in Pakistan’s palm. India added personality to injury by sneaking into the final, where it lost to host Sri Lanka by 25 runs.
Before hunting down summations of 300 or further in ODIs came routine, Virender Sehwag’s blistering 80- ball century and Suresh Raina quickfire 84 took India home with 47 balls to spare. A 198- run cooperation off 148 balls between the brace threw a shade on Pakistan’s approach, which painstakingly led it to 299. Its openers Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik put on a stodgy 90- run stage in21.4 overs before the ultimate twirled through the gears for a 119- ball 125. While Gautam Gambhir fell beforehand in India’s chance, Sehwag and Raina assured Pakistan was left to bemoan its failure to ransack runs on a benign gate. Know More Latest Cricket…
