India vs Pakistan: Top 6 matches in Asia Cup

Ayush Gupta takes his time out to bring up the top six clashes between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup till date.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan, prepare to lock horns once again in Asia Cup T20 2016. it would be their 13th clash in the tournament, with stakes really. Owing to the growing political differences between both the nations, sporting events have reduced between these two nations and both will finally clash against each other after over a year in match 3 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka on Saturday. The previous 12 Asia Cup ties between them have provided fans sheer entertainment. Ayush Gupta looks at top six clashes between them in Asia till date. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD:  India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup T20 2016, Match 4 at Dhaka

1. Sharjah, 1984:

India-Pakistan first played each other in the inaugural edition of the tournament. In Sharjah, in 1984, India played top class cricket to outplay Pakistan by 54 runs. India won the toss and elected to bat first and managed only 188 in 46 overs as it was a rain-curtailed tie. Surinder Khanna (56) and Sandeep Patil (43) guided the side to a decent total, while the Pakistan bowlers too produced a decent performance with the ball. However, it was some real good performance by the Indian bowlers, as Pakistan were bundled for mere 134 in 39.4 overs. Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri claimed three wickets each, while four unfortunate run outs too damaged Pakistan’s quest for a victory. Mohsin Khan was the top scorer with 35 runs and Surinder grabbed the Man of the Match award.

Brief scores: India 188 in 46 Overs (Surinder Khanna 56, Sanddep Patil 43; Shahid Mahboob 1 for 23) beat Pakistan 134 in 39.4 Overs (Mohsin Khan 35; Roger Binny 3 for 33, Ravi Shastri 3 for 40) by 54 runs.

2. Karachi, 2008:

The other interesting clash between the arch-rivals came 24 years later at Karachi in 2008, where India once again prevailed. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first, managed to put up a challenging total of 299 for the loss of 4 wickets in 50 overs. Shoaib Malik, India’s long time tormentor scored an impressive 125, before being retired hurt and Younis Khan contributed with 59, while Indian bowlers were not as impressive with the ball. However, they fired with the bat and not only just they chased the total down but also they achieved it in the 42nd over. Virender Sehwag belted 119 off 95 deliveries, Suresh Rania 84 and Yuvraj Singh’s 48. Raina was adjudged the Man of the Match. India vs Pakistan: History of all six T20Is played between arch-rivals

Brief scores: Pakistan 299 for 4 in 50 Overs (Shoaib Malik 125*, Younis Khan 59; RP Singh 1 for 44) lost to India 300 for 4 in 42.1 Overs (Virender Sehwag 119, Suresh Raina 84; Iftikhar Anjum 2 for 61) by 6 wickets.

3. Karachi, 2008 (Super Four):

The same tournament saw them clashing off once again in the Super Four stage, however, this time India were on the receiving end. Once again, it was a high scoring tie. Batting first, India managed to put up a commanding total, on the board, of 308 for the loss of seven wickets in 50 overs, courtesy strong innings from skipper MS Dhoni (76), Rohit Sharma (58) and Virender Sehwag (49), while Iftikhar Anjum claimed three wickets for 51. Pakistan, during their chase, too gave the India bowlers the same taste, as they too fired with the bat, thus chasing the total down in 45.3 overs, for the loss of just a couple of wickets. Younis Khan struck 123, along with Misbah-ul-Haq 70 and Nasir Jamshed 53. Younis Khan bagged the Man of the Match award.

Brief scores: India 308 for 7 in 50 Overs (MS Dhoni 76, Rohit Sharma 58; Iftikhar Anjum 3 for 51) lost to Pakistan 309 for 2 in 45.3 Overs (Younis Khan 123*, Misbah-ul-Haq 70*; Piyush Chawla 1 for 53) by 8 wickets.

4. Dambulla, 2010

The very next face between them took place at Dambulla in Sri Lanka, where India once again were victorious, handing Pakistan their fourth loss of the tournament against them. In what turned out to be one of the most thrilling encounters in the tournament between the two sides, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first, as they were bowled out for a taxing total of 267 in 49.3 overs. Samlan Butt and Kamran Akmal were the top scorers with a scores of 74 and 51 respectively, while Praveen Kumar claimed three wickets for 53. However, India managed to chase the total down in a thriller, courtesy of twin vigorous knocks from Gautam Gambhir (83) and skipper MS Dhoni (56). While Saeed Ajmal with his three for 56 proved to be a thorn, India won the thriller by three wickets, with just a ball to spare. Gambhir was adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-winning innings and the game witnessed some heated moments between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar but the former had the last laugh. India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2016, 4th T20I at Mirpur: Virat Kohli vs Mohammad Aamer and other Key Battles

Brief scores: Pakistan 267 in 49.3 Overs (Salman Butt 74, Kamran Akmal 52; Praveen Kumar 3 for 53) lost to India 271 for 7 in 49.5 Overs (Gautam Gambhir 83, MS Dhoni 56; Saeed Ajmal 3 for 56) by 3 wickets.

5. Dhaka, 2012:

In another high scoring tie, the arch-rivals fought it out at Dhaka, with India emerging on top once again. Winning the toss at a belter of a surface, Pakistan batted first and riding on centuries from their openers, they posted 329 for six in 50 overs. Scorching centuries were scored from Mohammad Hafeez (105) and Nasir Jamshed (112), Younis Khan  contributed with 52. However, India too gave Pakistan a sucker punch with the bat, as it was the centurion Virat Kohli, who played a monstrous knock of 183. Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma contributed vigorously with a knock of 52 and 68, respectively, but it was Kohli all the way. This game happened to be Tendulkar’s last ODI. Kohli bagged the Man of the Match award.

Brief scores: Pakistan 329 for 6 in 50 Overs (Mohammad Hafeez 105, Nasir Jamshed 112; Ashok Dinda 2 for 47) lost to India 330 for 4 in 47.5 Overs (Virat Kohli 183, Rohit Sharma 68; Umar Gul 2 for 65) by 6 wickets.

6. Dhaka, 2014:

Dhaka witnessed another thriller in the 2014 edition of Asia Cup. Winning the toss and electing to field first, India managed to post a testing total of 245 for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs. Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja scored crucial fifties to guide India to some respectability. Saeed Ajmal claimed three for 40. As it came down to the chase, it was Ahmed Shehzad along with Mohammad Hafeez, who played the all-important knock of 42 and 75, respectively; while Ravichandran Ashwin claimed three for 44, as Pakistan chased the total down, with two balls to spare and one wicket in hand. It was Shahid Afridi’s heroics in the last over that won them the game. Mohammad Hafeez bagged the Man of the Match award.

Brief scores: India 245 for 8 in 50 Overs (Rohit Sharma 56, Ambati Rayudu 58; Saeed Ajmal 3 for 40) lost to Pakistan 249 for 9 in 49.4 Overs (Ahmed Shehzad 42, Mohammad Hafeez 75; Ravichandran Ashwin 3 for 44) by 1 wicket.

(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)

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