Babar Azam with Virat Kohli.
Credit: Twitter/@cricketpakcompk
India and Pakistan are set to freshen their heated cricketing rivalry on September 2 when the two neighbours take on each other in the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri lanka’s Pallekele.
The encounter is set to be a blockbuster contest with both teams boasting of several match-winners in their ranks.
With Pakistani batting superstar Babar Azam already setting the ball rolling with a massive 151 against Nepal in the opening game of the competition, Indian fans would be looking towards the ever-dependable Virat Kohli for a similar impact when the two sides meet on Saturday.
Overall, India and Pakistan have faced each other 13 times in the ODI version of the Asia Cup so far. In these games, India hold a slender lead over their arch-rivals with seven wins while Pakistan have won five times. One of these games ended without result.
While the numbers tell that both sides have been really competitive against each other with India having a slight edge, it is not entirely true. The Indo-Pak encounters in this continental competition can be clearly seen in three phases with one side consistently dominating the other in phases.
India’s early head start
The first two Asia Cup games played between the two teams were both won by India. Both games were low-scoring matches with India coming out triumphant from tricky situations.
India won the first game in Sharjah in 1984 by 54 runs while the second match, played in Dhaka in 1988, was won by four wickets by the Dilip Vengsarkar-led side. In both these editions, India went on to win the tournament.
Pakistan’s dominance
After losing the first two games, Pakistan did not lose to their arch-rivals in the Asia Cup for 20 years.
Pakistan defeated India in the 1995, 2000 and 2004 editions of the tournament while the only match in the 1995 Asia Cup produced no result. India finally won a game against them in the 2008 edition held in Pakistan but the hosts bounced back later in the tournament to beat India again.
From 1988 to 2008, the two sides met six times with India winning just once.
India’s comeback
In the 2010s, India returned the favour by completely dominating their neighbours in the continental tournament. The men in blue won four out of the five games the two teams played in the ODI version of the Asia Cup in the previous decade.
While India’s wins during this period were mostly lopsided, the only game Pakistan won (2014) went to the wire finishing with Shahid Afridi’s memorable back-to-back sixes against R Ashwin.
With Pakistan being the number one ODI team currently and India being a solid ODI side, the upcoming encounter is set to be a mouth-watering contest for the fans.