IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023: India’s first match of the tournament against Pakistan was washed out, but there is a provision for a reserve day this time.
India and Pakistan are set to go at each other for a second time in the 2023 Asia Cup, this time at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The first match between the two teams seemed set to be a thriller after India’s remarkable fightback batting first, but the Pakistan chase never happened due to rain.
With showers playing a major role in the rest of the matches as well, the tournament organizers have announced that a reserve day will be kept for this fixture alone. This decision has been met with much backlash, including from Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha himself, but it does look like this reserve day will now be used after all, considering the weather predictions coming in with just hours to go for the match.
Also Read: India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asia Cup 2023: Rain likely to play spoilsport again
According to AccuWeather, the probability of precipitation is set to be at 90% throughout the afternoon in Colombo today, which is an indication of even incessant rains throughout that period. It goes down to only 85 percent after sunset, which makes it all the more difficult for the match to take place, likely pushing it to Monday. However, in a positive update, the weather in Colombo this morning seems promising. Despite scattered clouds, the sun is playing hide and seek, raising hopes of an on-time start. But here’s the bummer. While the forecast looks good until the start of scheduled play, it is only in the afternoon – around 3 – that things appear dull. There are 80 percent chances of showers, which only swell to 90 percent around 5 p.m. with no signs of slowing down for the remainder of the day.
Despite a reserve day, the first priority of the match officials will be to get a result on Sunday itself. In case of time loss and delays, the overs will be trimmed and the match timings can be extended by 90 minutes. If the game cannot be completed, the action will move to Monday, where play will resume from where it stopped today.
How the first IND vs PAK match went
India had won the toss and chosen to bat first. While Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill seemed to get off to a steady start early on, the first rain break seemed to turn the tables. It came after the second ball of the fifth over, and Shaheen Afridi promptly went on to dismiss Rohit off the second ball after the restart. India went on to crumble to 66/4 in 14.1 overs, with Pakistan’s pacers dominating.
However, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan then put up a 138-run stand for the sixth wicket off just 141 balls that pretty much flattened the Pakistan bowlers. Kishan scored 82 off 81 balls, while Pandya made 87 off 90, and their effort helped India put up a total of 266. Rain had made an appearance almost as soon as the last Indian wicket fell, and it never went away, leading to the two teams never walking out for Pakistan’s chase.
India face a selection dilemma for their upcoming match, with KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan both being fit to play in the wicketkeeper-batsman’s role. Moreover, they may make a decision between playing Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel based on what the pitch looks like. Meanwhile, Pakistan will enter the match against India with a four-pronged pace attack that includes Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Faheem Ashraf. The spin department will be marshalled by vice-captain and leg-spinner Shadab Khan, with the support of part-time off-spinners Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed.
