What is India’s record against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in ODIs?

Team India are all set to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in the much-awaited Asia Cup 2023 clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. There are concerns over the weather since the prediction is not all that great, with rain expected to make its presence felt during the course of the match.

Fans, however, will remain hopeful of the game going ahead. The last time these two sides met in the 2022 T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), they played out an iconic match. Pakistan batted first and posted 159/8 on the back of half-centuries from Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed.

India were in big trouble in the chase, as they slipped to 31/4 at the start of the seventh over. Pakistan seemed favorites at that point, but Virat Kohli (82* off 53) engineered an unbelievable turnaround, adding 113 runs for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya (40 off 37). The Men in Blue won by four wickets, getting over the line off the last ball.

Fans will be hoping for a similar, hard-fought contest in the Asia Cup on Saturday.

---

How have India fared against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in the ODI format?

India have Pakistan have met in the Asia Cup a total of 13 times so far, with the Men in Blue winning seven clashes and Pakistan five. One game did not produce a result.

The first-ever Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan took place during the inaugural edition in 1984. India won the game in Sharjah by 54 runs. Batting first, India put up 188/4 in 46 overs. Keeper-batter Surinder Khanna top-scored with 56 off 72 balls. Sandeep Patil (43 off 50) and Sunil Gavaskar (36* off 55) also made useful contributions.

Chasing a target of 189, Pakistan were bowled out for 134 in 39.4 overs. Mohsin Khan (35) was among the few Pakistani batters to offer some resistance, while Zaheer Abbas contributed 27. For India, Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri claimed three scalps each.

The Men in Blue also chased down 300 against Pakistan during the 2006 edition in Karachi. Virender Sehwag hammered 119 off 95, while Suresh Raina smashed 84 off 69 as Team India zoomed past the target in 42.1 overs.

One of India’s most famous wins over their arch-rivals came in 2012 in Mirpur when Virat Kohli’s spectacular 183 off 148 balls saw them chase 330 in 47.5 overs with six wickets in hand. Kohli’s knock remains the highest individual score in the Asia Cup.

India and Pakistan last met in the Asia Cup in the ODI format in 2018 in Dubai. It was a memorable encounter for the Men in Blue as they hammered their opposition by nine wickets.

Set to chase 238, Team India cruised to victory as Rohit Sharma (111*) and Shikhar Dhawan (114) added 210 runs for the opening wicket.