2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in their Asia Cup 2023 Group A clash against Pakistan

India and Pakistan were forced to settle for a point each in Pallekele as rain washed out the second innings of their Asia Cup 2023 Group A clash on Saturday, September 2.

With the point, Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage of the tournament. India will likely get there too, with the Men in Blue all set to lock horns with Nepal, who were beaten conclusively in their opening game, on Monday, September 4.

However, with the rest of the Asia Cup and the World Cup on the horizon, India will know that they have a few more issues to iron out. Their meeting against Pakistan answered a question or two, but others still remain up in the air.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in their Asia Cup 2023 Group A clash against Pakistan.

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#3 Mistake - India chose to bat first under overcast conditions

Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in Pallekele

In hindsight, claiming that India's decision to bat first was a mistake is a double-edged sword. Not only did their batters get a good deal of batting practice in testing conditions in a high-pressure game, but Pakistan captain Babar Azam also claimed that he'd have done the same.

With the weather in mind, it was rather strange that Rohit Sharma decided to take first guard, especially with the threat of the Pakistan pace battery hanging over India's vulnerable batting lineup. Surely the wiser decision would have been to rely on knowing what the target was and making the most of the overcast conditions up front.

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah were lethal in the powerplay, with the former prising out two crucial wickets. Haris Rauf joined in on the action too, reducing India to rubble.

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#2 Masterstroke - Ishan Kishan was used at No. 5 without disturbing the rest of the batting order

Ishan Kishan came good in his maiden outing against Pakistan

After India were placed at 66/4 in the 15th over, they needed something special from their middle and lower-middle order to get them to a defendable total. They got just that from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, who put on an impressive 138-run partnership to guide the Men in Blue through tricky waters.

Among the duo, Kishan's knock was particularly impressive. The team management must also be credited for sticking to their guns and not tinkering with the entire batting order in the aftermath of KL Rahul's unavailability.

There were talks that Kishan could be made to bat in the top three, with Virat Kohli moving down to No. 4. Luckily common sense prevailed in the end as India retained a stable batting order while exploring a new dimension with Kishan at No. 5. Now, when Rahul returns, the team management will have a more straightforward decision to make.

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#1 Mistake - Several batters played dodgy shots to be dismissed

Ravindra Jadeja nicked off to hand Shaheen his fourth wicket

Yes, there was help on offer for the seamers. Yes, Shaheen, Naseem and Rauf are three of the best fast bowlers in the world. However, the manner in which some of India's batters were dismissed just wasn't justifiable.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill left gaping holes between bat and pad, with the latter's dismissal in particular being unbecoming of a top-level opening batter. Kohli unconvincingly pushed at one outside off, only to chop on.

Shreyas Iyer, while he did connect well with his pull, offered a simple chance to midwicket. Ravindra Jadeja could've capitalized on the good work done by Kishan and Hardik, but he looked all at sea while at the crease and wafted at one outside off to find the gloves of the wicket-keeper.

India need to show more application and poise when confronted with similar situations, especially in the upcoming high-pressure games they're going to play.