Top 5 India vs Pakistan clashes in 50 over Asia Cup history

India vs Pakistan 2018 Asia Cup. (Photo source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

The India-Pakistan rivalry transcends sports. There are very few rivalries in sports that invoke emotions as much as the famous rivalry between these two arch rivals do. There is hardly a dull moment on the field whenever India and Pakistan are up against each other.

Players from each team know what the game means to their respective countries and they do their best to end up on the winning side. Over the years, one has seen India and Pakistan play out some unforgettable games on the cricket field. The rivalry only goes up a notch when the Asia Cup is at stake.

Both the teams are all set to take on each other in the forthcoming Asia Cup 2023. India and Pakistan are in the same group and will face each other at least once. So before the highly-anticipated tournament gets underway, we are taking a look at the top 5 India vs Pakistan clashes in 50-over Asia Cup history.

Top 5 India vs Pakistan clashes in 50 over Asia Cup history:

5. India vs Pakistan, Sharjah, April 13, 1984

India vs Pakistan, Sharjah, April 13, 1984. (Photo Source: Twitter)

This is the game where it all began. India and Pakistan faced each other in the Asia Cup for the first time in the inaugural edition of the competition in 1984. The venue was Sharjah and India made a winning start to their Asia Cup campaign.

It was the third and last game of the competition. India had beaten Sri Lanka in their tournament-opener while Pakistan had suffered a 5-wicket defeat against the same opposition. A win for India would have sealed the trophy for them and the Sunil Gavaskar-led side grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

Batting first, India scored 188/4 in the allotted 46 overs with opener Surinder Khanna top-scoring with 56. Sandeep Patil (43) and Gavaskar (36*) also played crucial knocks. In reply, Pakistan were all out for 134 in 39.4 overs. Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri picked up 3 wickets each for India.

4. India vs Pakistan, Dambulla, June 19, 2010

India vs Pakistan, Dambulla, June 19, 2010. (Photo Source: Twitter)

India and Pakistan played one of the most thrilling ODI matches when they locked horns against each other in Dambulla in the 2010 Asia Cup. It was a rollercoaster of a game as fortunes swung from one side to the other before India eventually prevailed. It was the same game where Gautam Gambhir famously had an altercation with Kamran Akmal before the two were separated by the umpires and other players.

The same game also witnessed a heated moment between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar. Batting first, Pakistan were all out for 267 with opener Salman Butt and Akmal scoring half-centuries. In reply, India were on 180 for 2 thanks to fifties from Gambhir and MS Dhoni before a collapse saw them getting reduced to 219 for 6. The mid-innings slump put Pakistan on top before Suresh Raina and Harbhajan added 43 runs to revive the chase.

However, Pakistan put themselves in the driver’s seat once again after Mohammad Amir dismissed Raina on the second ball of the final over. But with 3 runs needed off the last two balls, Harbhajan hit Amir for a stunning six to seal a thrilling win for the Men in Blue.

3. India vs Pakistan, Mirpur, March 2, 2014:

India vs Pakistan, Mirpur, March 2, 2014. (Photo Source: Twitter)

India and Pakistan played out another classic when they were up against each other in Mirpur in 2014. The thrilling game was eventually decided by the brilliance of the mercurial Shahid Afridi. Asked to bat first, India scored 245 for 8 in 50 overs. Fifties from Rohit Sharma (56), Ambati Rayudu (58) and Ravindra Jadeja (52 not out) helped India post the competitive total.

In reply, Pakistan were well placed at 200 for 4 in the 44th over thanks to knocks from Ahmed Shehzad (42), Mohammad Hafeez (75) and Sohaib Maqsood (38). However, India turned things around in a blink of an eye by taking quick wickets. Both Hafeez and Maqsood departed in quick succession before Afridi and Umar Gul added 32 runs for the seventh wicket to take Pakistan closer to the win.

However, Afridi was in danger of running out of partners when Gul was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the penultimate over before Mohammad Talha and Saeed Ajmal fell for golden ducks. Junaid Khan then managed to take a single on the second ball of the final over to give Afridi the strike. With 9 needed, Afridi hit Ravichandran Ashwin for back-to-back sixes to seal a thrilling win for his side.

2. India vs Pakistan, Dubai, September 23, 2018:

India vs Pakistan 2018 Asia Cup. (Photo Source:  Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Not many games between India and Pakistan turn out to be a one-sided affair but the one in Dubai in 2018 was exactly that. It was the second meeting between the two sides in that competition. In the first meeting, India had thrashed the Men in Green by 8 wickets. The second meeting was no different either as the Men in Blue won it by 9 wickets.

Batting first, Pakistan scored 237 for 7 in 50 overs. They were reeling at 58 for 3 at one stage before Shoaib Malik’s 78-run knock helped them post a respectable total. The total, however, was nowhere close to a winning one as India’s openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma made the chase a cakewalk.

Both the players went on to score century while sharing a 210-run stand for the opening wicket. The partnership ended after Dhawan was run out for 114 runs. Rohit remained unbeaten on 111 and shared an unbeaten stand of 28 runs with Ambati Rayudu to take India home in the 40th over.

1. India vs Pakistan, Mirpur, March 18, 2012:

India vs Pakistan, Mirpur, March 18, 2012. (Photo Source: Twitter)

India were looking destined to suffer a big loss after Pakistan scored 329 for 6 in 50 overs when both the teams met each other in the 2012 Asia Cup clash in Mirpur. Pakistan decided to bat first after winning the toss and their openers justified the decision by scoring centuries. Mohammad Hafeez scored 105 while Nasir Jamshed scored 112.

Veteran Younis Khan then slammed 52 runs off just 34 balls to help Pakistan finish the innings strongly. In reply, India were off to a disastrous start with opener Gautam Gambhir departing for a two-ball duck. But from thereon, it was all about Virat Kohli as the batting star played one of the finest ODI knocks of all time to help India complete their highest succesfull ODI chase at the time.

He shared a 133-run stand off 116 balls with Sachin Tendulkar before sharing a mammoth 172-run stand with Rohit Sharma off 158 balls to put India in the driver’s seat. The match was all but decided in India’s favor when Kohli’s stunning knock of 183 runs came to an end in the 48th over. India eventually reached the target on the fifth ball of the 48th over.