COLOMBO – India beat Pakistan by 228 runs in the Super Four stage match of Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo on Monday.
Chasing the 357-run target set by India, Pakistan could make only 128 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 32 overs. Both Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf had retired due to injuries and they did not bat.
This is India's highest margin of victory (228 runs) in ODIs against Pakistan. After Monday's massive win against Pakistan, India now leads the Asia Cup points table, followed by Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier, the Pakistan vs India match of Asia Cup 2023’s Super Four stage at Colombo, Sri Lanka had a halt due to rain.
The Team Green resumed the reserve day game at 147-2 from 24.1 overs.
A strong partnership between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul helped India set a giant target of 357 runs for Pakistan in Super Four clash.
Kohli and Rahul smashed unbeaten 122 and 111 as they showed magic with batt as Pakistani bowlers struggled to take wickets and restrict runs.
On Sunday, the opening Indian pair Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill made 56 and 58 runs, respectively.
However, Pakistan suffered a setback before the start of the game as Haris Rauf has been ruled out of the Asia Cup match due to injury. It is not clear what kind of injury he has suffered from.
Asian cricket giants Pakistan, and India were expected to lock horn again today on Monday as Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 game was called off in Colombo on Sunday in the wake of heavy rain.
Men in Blue were 147/2 in 24.1 overs when downpour stopped play in the blockbuster game and after multiple attempts and reviews, offiiclas called off Sunday game and the fixture will continue from the same point today (Monday).
In the high-octane clash, Team Grenn opted to bowl first against Rohit Sharma XI but Pakistani bowlers faced hard time, as Indian openers stitched good partnership, firing salvo with bat.
Pakistan have fielded an unchanged playing XI for this high-voltage clash. Meanwhile, India have made two changes with one of them being forced after Shreyas Iyer picked up a spasm in the back moments before the toss and will be replaced by KL Rahul. Jasprit Bumrah has also replaced Mohammad Shami in India’s lineup.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stands firm against Pakistan's bowling attack and slammed his 50th ODI half-century. He opened the innings with young-gun Shubman Gill who displayed A-game, putting India ahead in the early overs.
Earlier, Pakistani all rounder Shadab Khan gives his side first wicket, sending in form Rohit Sharma out for 56.
Shaheen Afridi struck to get the wicket of Shubman Gill, and Team Green was back in the hunt.
Rohit Sharma was 10 off 24 balls and has now hit fifty off just 42 balls. This is his 50th fifty and is only 20 runs away from getting to 10,000 ODI runs
After beating Bangladesh by seven wickets in their first Super Four match, the Men in Green will look forward to continuing their excellent form in the Asia Cup.
Pakistan have fielded an unchanged playing XI for this high-voltage clash. Meanwhile India have made two changes with one of them being forced after Shreyas Iyer picked up a spasm in the back moments before the toss and will be replaced by KL Rahul. Jasprit Bumrah has also replaced Mohammad Shami in India’s lineup.
Pakistan vs India Asia Cup Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj