India Has Played Against Pakistan In Asia Cup Since 1984 On 14 Occasions So Far, Winning Eight And Losing Five, Though One Match Has Been Washed Out :
While we await the final announcement of the Asia Cup 2020 venue and dates, it gives us time to look back at the tournament’s big-ticket matches between India and Pakistan. India has been the most prolific team in Asia Cup history , winning the continental tournament seven times (six in ODI format, one in T20I format) since the tournament’s inception in 1984. Throughout the years, Pakistan has questioned India ‘s dominance more than any other team at the competition.
India has played against Pakistan in Asia Cup since 1984 on 14 occasions so far, winning eight and losing five, although one match has been washed out. Hindustan Times looks at how the two teams fared in their bid for Asian supremacy when they clashed against each other.
1984 (UAE) : India Won By 54 Runs:
India won the tournament’s first edition by beating Pakistan at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in a low-scoring Final. Batting first, in 46 overs, India posted a sub-par total of 188/4. Wicket keeper Surinder Khanna scored 56 in the top, while Sandeep Patil (43) and skipper Sunil Gavaskar (36) scored useful contributions.
While chasing the target, Pakistan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and was unable to get a big partnership going right through their innings. The show stars for India were Ravi Shastri and Roger Binny, as they scalped three wickets each to bundle out Pakistan for 134. What is remarkable is that in the Pakistan chase there were four run-outs that gave India an assisting hand in dismissing their arch-rivals.
1988 (Bangladesh): India Won By 4 Wickets:
India secured its second consecutive Asia Cup encounter against Pakistan by recording a four-victory victory over its rivals (26 balls to spare). Batting first, Pakistan was limited to just 142, with India’s offbreak bowler Arshad Ayub scalping five wickets wrecking their batting line-up. Kapil Dev and Maninder Singh each picked up two wickets.
Navjot Singh Sidhu departed early for India during the chase, but Mohinder Amarnath held the innings from one end to keep the ship steady. No other Indian could score in double digits apart from Amarnath and opener Kris Srikanth, but in the end it wasn’t necessary as Jimmy got them home with his magnificent 74 * innings.
1995 (UAE): Pakistan Won By 97 Runs:
Pakistan clinched their first-ever Asia Cup victory over India at this tournament edition, when they outclassed their rivals by 97 runs in Sharjah. Pakistan posted a formidable total of 266/9 on its 50 overs, courtesy of Imzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram in their fifties. Imzamam slammed 88, which included seven boundaries, runs off 100 deliveries. As for Akram, to hit the 50-run mark he requires just 46 deliveries and his innings featured four boundaries and two enormous maximums.
Chasing the target, India lost Sachin Tedulkar and Manoj Prabhakar openers on the board for only 11 runs and everything started downhill from there. Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sanjay Manjrekar gave some resistance after India was reduced to 37/4, hitting fifties respectively. But once those two dropped, the bowlers of Pakistan ran through the lower Indian order as India was dismissed for 169. Aaquib Javed was India ‘s chief downfall architect as he scalped 5 wickets while Aamer Sohail scalped 2.
1997 (Sri Lanka): No Result:
With Venkatesh Prasad scalping 4/17 in five overs, India had reduced Pakistan to 30/5 on nine overs. At the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo however, rain came down hard and the match had to be called off.
2000 (Bangladesh): Pakistan Won By 44 Runs:
The century of Mohammed Yusuf sufficed for Pakistan to defeat India at the tournament’s 2000 edition. First batting, Pakistan posted a huge total of 295/7 in 50 overs, with Yusuf top scoring a well-made 112-ball 100. Opener Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan chipped in as Pakistan batsmen put Indian bowlers to the sword with useful contributions.Anil Kumble picked up three wickets for India while two wickets were scalped each by Ajit Agarkar and Amit Bhandari.
The Indian top-order suffered a collapse during the chase, and they were needed in 14 overs to 75/4. As he accounted for the wickets of Rahul Dravid, Mohammed Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar, Abdul Razzaq wrought havoc. Ajay Jadeja released a brilliant battle for India and took the attack to bowlers in Pakistan. His 93-run innings had eight fours and four gigantic sixes. At the other hand, however, Jadeja struggled to find help and India succumbed to a heavy defeat. Razzaq finished the match in 8 overs with impressive 4/29 figures.
2004 (Sri Lanka): Pakistan Won By 59 Runs:
After losing matches to India in the first two Asia Cup editions, Pakistan posted victories on the trot against them in four editions of the tournament. In 2004, Pakistan crossed the 300-run mark against India in the Asia Cup for the first time in their history and it was made possible by Shoaib Malik, who smashed 143 runs off just 127 deliveries at Colombo’s R.Premadasa Stadium. No other Pakistani batsman, apart from Malik, came close the 50-run mark in their innings. Malik ‘s brilliant innings included eighteen boundaries and a six.
Chasing the goal, India lost early on Virender Sehwag but skipper Sourav Ganguly joined hands with other opener Sachin Tendulkar and began to take the attack to Pakistan. Mohammad Sami cast Ganguly for 39 and India continued to lose wickets at regular intervals from that moment on. But Tendulkar continued from one end to drive the innings and also crossed th 50-run mark. Once Malik had dismissed him for 78, however, India’s chase all but ended and they eventually fell short of the target by a distance.
2008 (Pakistan) Group Stage: India Won By 6 Wickets:
Shoaib Malik once again ripped Indian bowlers apart after scoring a century in 2004 but this time in front of home support in Karachi. Skipper Malik opened the innings for Pakistan, and he only returned to the pavilion after scoring a ton and getting hurt from retirement. The right-hander took 125 off 119 deliveries including 16 fours and a six. With a well-made half-century, Younis Khan also contributed as Pakistan posted 299/4 in 50 overs.
Chasing the tough goal, India got off to the worst possible start as opener Gautam Gambhir left on board for only 12 runs. But Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina sent the fielders on a leather chase, stitching a 198-run partnership together from their on. Sehwag scored a swashbuckling 119 off 95 deliveries while Raina scored 84 off 69 before being quickly dismissed. Yuvraj Singh (48) and MS Dhoni (26 *) supported the chase with finishing touches as India arrived home with six wickets to spare.
Super Fours: Pakistan Won By 8 Wickets:
Pakistan has got its revenge after losing in the group stage by winning the game against India in the super fours. It is the only edition in which India and Pakistan have so far collided twice in one tourney. First of all, India posted a total of 308/7 in 50 overs — with many Indian batters starting but none of them turning it into major hundreds.Skipper MS Dhoni scored 76, while Rohit Sharma slapped the ‘Men in Blue’ for half a century as well.
The hosts have got off to a good start in the chase as Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed helped them to quickly cross the 50-run mark. Butt soon departed but with some calculated hitting, Jamshed and Younis Khan kept the momentum going. After completing his fifty, Jamshed was hurt in retirement but Younis kept going and stitched a well-deserved ton (123 off 117).When Pakistan reached the finish line with eight wickets and 27 balls to spare, Misbah-ul – Haq joined the party too and smashed 70 off 62 deliveries.
2010 (Sri Lanka): India Won By 3 Wickets:
This match between the two sides was not an encounter of high scoring, like previous editions, but it was a nail-biter that went down to the wire. Batting first, Pakistan posted a total of 267 fighting, courtesy of Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal in their fifties. Praveen Kumar was the bowler’s pick for India as he ended up with 3/53 figures while Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh scalped two wickets each.
Chasing the target, opener Gautam Gambhir kept the innings from one end to the other, as his partners continued to shift. Eventually, skipper Dhoni joined him at the crease and the pair took the assault to the bowlers in Pakistan. Before being dismissed in rapid succession, they both scored their respective fifties. The next thing that happened is what one wonders about when these two teams play against each other-a face off. Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar exchanged a few verbal volleys that ended with the Indian star hitting an enormous six off Mohammed Amir to send India home with just one ball to spare.
2012 (Bangladesh): India Won By 6 Wickets:
At this edition of the tournament in Dhaka, Pakistan once again surpassed the 300-run mark against India in the Asia Cup. Openers Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed ripped apart the Indian bowling line-up as both slammed down centuries respectively and set up a 224 partnership for the opening wicket. Younis Khan hit a 34-ball 52 in 50 overs to propel Pakistan’s score at 329/6.
Chasing the rigid goal, India lost a duck opener to Gambhir, but then the master and the apprentice — Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli — joined forces to rescue them from trouble. Sachin eventually left after finishing his fifty but Kohli kept going and brought every bowler in Pakistan to the cleaners. Kohli found strong help from Rohit Sharma after Sachin, before he finished his century. As Kohli eventually quit, his score read 183 off 148 balls (22 fours and one six), but more importantly, India was inside the match’s winning reach. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni had the team over the line but it was Kohli’s genius that India succeeded in chasing down such a big score with 13 balls to spare.
2014 (Bangladesh): Pakistan Won By 1 Wicket:
Only after three batsmen scored fifty, India was able to win at Dhaka in 2014 with just 245/8 in their 50 overs against Pakistan. Rohit Sharma (56), Ambati Rayudu (58) and Ravindra Jadeja (52) manufactured the products for India but it was Pakistan’s bowling effort that was notable. Saeed Ajmal finished with outstanding 3/40 figures in 10 overs while Mohammad Hafeez and Mohammad Talha clinched two wickets each, with spectacular 4.22 and 3.14 economy levels respectively.
During the chase Hafeez completed a magnificent all-round display for Pakistan, as he anchored the innings beautifully by hitting 75 off 117 deliveries. Wickets continued to fall and his partners continued to change but he persevered and continued to stitch small partnerships with the likes of Ahmed Shehzad (42) and Sohaib Maqsood (38). Shahid Afridi eventually slammed 34 off 18 deliveries — including two consecutive sixes off R Ashwin in the final over — to send Pakistan home with only two balls to spare.
2016 (Bangladesh): India Won By 5 Wickets:
Due to the WT20, which was scheduled right after the completion of the Asia Cup, this particular edition of the cup was converted into T20 format. Indian bowlers wreaked havoc on Dhaka’s swinging conditions and dismissed Pakistan for just 83. Hardik Pandya was India’s pick of bowlers as he scalped thee wickets in 3.3 overs for just eight runs. Ravindra Jadeja scalped in three overs on 2/11 while Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuvraj Singh each scalped one wicket.
Mohammed Amir made what seemed like a small total look massive as he reduced India by himself to 3/8 — accounting for the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina. Yet once again Virat Kohli showed his class and paid due respect to Amir’s deliveries, while at the same time taking the attack to other bowlers in Pakistan. Mohammed Sami eventually got the best of Kohli (49 of 51 deliveries), but by then he had done his job as MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh brought India from there safely home with 27 balls to spare.
2018 (Dubai): India Won By 8 Wickets:
There was a chance of India and Pakistan meeting each other three times in the last edition of the Asia Cup, if both qualified for the final. But as it turned out India had reached the finals but Pakistan was unable to. But India steamrolled Pakistan in the first group-stage match. It was a superlative effort from the bowling unit that saw them shot out Pakistan in 43.1 overs for a paltry 162 before Rohit Sharma (52 off 39 balls) and Shikhat Dhawan (46 off 54 balls) added 86 for the opening wicket to ensure a smooth chase for the ‘Men In Blue’ in just 29 overs.
2018 (Dubai): India Won By 9 Wickets:
There was no change in the match result when those two played again in another group match a few days later. India recorded yet another overwhelming victory over Pakistan.Bumrah, Chahal and Kuldeep picked two wickets each, as India limited Pakistan to below par 237 for seven. In response, both the Indian openers-Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan slammed hundreds as India chased down the target with nine wickets in their bank in 39.3 overs.
