India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 opener washed out by rain

The much hyped India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2023 at Pallekele in Sri Lanka was called off due to incessant rains, which made the ground unplayable despite the best efforts from the ground staff.

There was already a prediction that the rain could play spoilsport in the match. The Met forecast had predicted 70 per cent chances of rain.

The match was called off after India had completed its innings. The Indian team was bowled out for a paltry 266 with an over still to go. The Pakistan innings could not start owing to the wet ground.

After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma-led Team India had opted to bat first, kicking off the match with a rocky start as Pakistan’s strong bowling and fielding made the entire team crumble, with both Sharma and Virat Kohli only scoring 15 runs collectively.

Even young batter Shubman Gill failed to deliver despite toiling hard, scoring only 10 runs off 32 deliveries. Team India lost all their wickets before the end of their 50-over inning, with Pak bowler Shaheen Afridi doing the most damage.

Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, however, managed to stem the fall of wickets and added 138 valuable runs for the fifth wicket before Kishan held out to Babar Azam in the deep while trying to play a lofted shot of a Rauf delivery.

Both teams were given one point in the Asia Cup 2023 table. However, this one point proved more beneficial for Pakistan than it did for India, according to the points table.
Having already scored a couple of points before the IND vs PAK match, Pakistan has now qualified for the Super Four with a total of three points. Earlier, Pakistan had scored two points to beat Nepal in a thrilling match.

The India vs Nepal match is set to take place on Monday, September 4, but it is expected that rain will play spoilsport once again in the upcoming match. If the rain washes out India’s next match as well, this will guarantee the team a spot in the Super Four in Group A fixtures.