India or Pakistan - which team will be the happier side after the washout in Asia Cup 2023?

The much-hyped India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday was washed out due to rain. There were concerns over the match due to weather and the fans’ worst fears came true as the game could not be completed due to rain.

Earlier, there were some promising signs when the toss took place at the scheduled time. Subsequently, there were two short rain delays during the Indian innings after Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first. But things went very smoothly after that as the weather did not intervene. Team India faced 48.5 overs and were bowled out for 266.

The match was nicely set up for a close chase. Unfortunately, the heavens opened during the mid-innings break. After the rain stopped, there was an inspection from the umpires and the players even began to warm up. Unfortunately, it started drizzling again and Pakistan did not get a chance to bat.

In the wake of the washout in the India-Pakistan match in Pallekele, we analyze which of the two teams would have been happier after the game.

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Some concerns and a few positives for Team India

Ishan Kishan (left) and Hardik Pandya lifted India out of trouble. (Pic: AP Photo/Pankaj Nangia)

Looking at the Men in Blue, they would have mixed emotions when they review their performance.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli yet again fell to the guile of left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi without contributing much. While Rohit was done in by one that jagged back in sharply, Kohli played on to a delivery outside off stump as he attempted a half-hearted push.

The Indian camp might downplay their top order’s woes against left-arm seamers, but the frequency of their dismissals against the particular type of bowling is worrying. And it is something that seems to be playing on Rohit and Kohli’s minds.

No doubt, the Indian captain got a great delivery from Afridi, but he ought to have expected that one would shape back in after a couple darted away. Clearly, he was caught off guard. As for Kohli, it was not the first time that he had aimlessly poked at one outside off stump.

One cannot be too harsh on Shreyas Iyer since he was playing in his first international match on comeback from injury. However, the fact that he again perished to the short ball cannot be ignored.

The scratchy form of Shubman Gill heading into the World Cup is also a cause for concern. He hasn’t looked the same ever since his first innings dismissal in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, bowled while shouldering arms to Scott Boland.

Looking at the positives, the performances of Ishan Kishan (82 off 81) and Hardik Pandya (87 off 90) stood out. The duo came together when India were reeling at 66/4 and lifted the team with a 138-run stand for the fifth wicket.

With his fourth consecutive ODI fifty, Kishan will pose a serious challenge to KL Rahul’s place as a keeper-batter with the World Cup coming up. As for Pandya, it was a much-needed innings from him after the disappointing tour of West Indies.

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A mix of magic and mediocrity from Pakistan

Shaheen Afridi starred for Pakistan with 4/35. (Pic: AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

The story was rather similar for Pakistan as well. There were phases where they were brilliant, but there were also stages in the game where they looked completely out of sorts and uninterested.

Afridi was undoubtedly the standout performer, making the ball talk and thereby making life extremely difficult for India’s batters. He clearly seems to have the edge over Rohit and Kohli. The way he outfoxed both points towards the same.

Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah also made an impact with three wickets each as pacers claimed all 10 wickets in an Asia Cup match for the first time. While Naseem’s wickets were lower-order batters, Rauf once again unsettled India’s batters with his pace although he did take a little bit of stick as well.

Having said that, Pakistan should be a tad disappointed that they allowed India to recover to 266 after having them on the mat at 66/4.

Questions will be asked about Babar Azam’s captaincy as he did not go for the kill and allowed India to fight back. Of course, Pakistan were not helped by the fact that leg-spinner Shadab Khan had an off-day.

In addition, their fielding effort was sloppy, to say the least.

To sum up the India vs Pakistan match, neither side was clinical, but dominated certain phases of the game in a rather impressive fashion. It was much like the end result - an incomplete performance in an incomplete game.