Asia Cup 2022 starts on August 28 in the United Arab Emirates. Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will face each other again in the continental event. Since the sides have only played head-to-head in multi-team tournaments since January 2013, their face-off has become much more valuable over the past decade. While the sides will face each other for the first time in the upcoming Asian Cup on August 28, there’s a good chance they’ll face each other again later in the tournament, not once but twice.
Before the T20I action between the sides kicks off at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, let’s remember all the India-Pakistan matches that took place in Asia Cup so far.
1984: India defeated Pakistan by 54 runs in the inaugural Asia Cup
In the low scoring thriller at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, India defended a total of 188 for 4 against Pakistan in the inaugural edition of the Asian Cup. While Surinder Khanna’s 56-run knockout brought India to a fight total in 46 overs, the bowling of Ravi Shastri and Roger Binny helped the side win the match. Shastri returned 3 for 40, while Binny took 3 for 33. It’s worth noting that four of the Pakistani batters lost their wickets to a run-out and that played a vital role in their loss to India.
1988: India’s second consecutive Asia Cup victory over Pakistan
The match in Dhaka saw India win the game by 4 wickets. Bowling first, the side bundled out of Pakistan for 142 runs courtesy of Arshad Ayub’s 5 for 21. Meanwhile, Kapil Dev and Maninder Singh claimed two wickets apiece.
In the pursuit, India also regularly lost wickets, but Mohinder Amarnath’s unbeaten 74 kept them going. The side eventually won the game in 40.4 overs with four wickets in hand.
1995: Pakistan records first ever Asian Cup victory over India
The match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium saw a dominant performance from Pakistan as they recorded their first-ever Asia Cup win over arch-rival India. Riding 1950s from Imzamam-ul-Haq (88) and Wasim Akram (50 not out of 46), Pakistan posted a total of 266 for 9.
In response, India faltered 37 for 4 at one point before Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sanjay Manjrekar played 54 and 50 runs respectively. But even that didn’t stop Pakistan as India was eventually knocked out for 169. Pakistan won the match with a huge 97 point lead.
1997: Rain plays bummer
India appeared to be in complete control, reducing Pakistan to 30 for 5 in 9 overs, thanks to Venkatesh Prasad’s four-wicket-haul (4 for 17), as the heavens opened. The rain in Colombo eventually forced the game to be abandoned.
2000: Pakistan’s second Asian Cup win over India
Pakistan had beaten India by 44 runs in Dhaka for their second Asian Cup win over the arch-rivals. Leading the batter, the team placed 295 for 7, thanks to an unbeaten century by Mohammad Yousuf and the contributions of Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan. Meanwhile, Anil had returned Kumble 3 for 43.
In response to the total, India was reduced to 75 for 4 from 68 for 1 and Pakistan has never looked back since. They continued to invade with wickets at regular intervals and eventually they bundled India for 251. Abdul Razzaq was the bowlers’ choice with figures of 4 for 29 in 8 overs.
2004: Pakistan continues its dominance over India
Comes the next edition of Asian Cup and Pakistan continues to dominate India, this time with a 59-run win at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Leading batting, Pakistan posted 300 for 9 in the set quota of 50 overs before stopping India at 241 for 8.
Shoaib Malik played for Pakistan with his 143-run knock-off 127 balls in the first innings and the numbers of 2 for 42 in the second. For India, Sachin Tendulkar scored 78 points, but that could not win the game for the team.
2008: India 1-1 Pakistan
Group stage: India breaks Pakistan’s winning streak
India defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets to take their first Asian Cup win over the opposing side since 1988. What made the win all the more special was the fact that it came on home soil. The game in Karachi saw Shoaib send Malik’s 125 Pakistan to 299 for 4 at bats.
In response, India was led by Virender Sehwag’s flamboyant 119-run innings that came from just 95 balls. Sehwag hit 12 fours and five sixes in his match-winning knockout as India chased the goal of 300 runs in 42.1 overs. Suresh Raina also helped India’s cause with an 84-run knock-off 69 balls.
Super 4s: Pakistan bounces back
While India dictated the terms in the group stage, Pakistan recorded a comeback 8-wicket victory over India in the Super 4s. MS Dhoni’s 76 and Rohit Sharma’s 58 led India to 308 for 7 in Karachi, but Pakistan made the chase a breeze by coming home with 27 balls left. Younis Khan’s 123 not out and Misbah-ul-Haq’s 70 not out paved the way for an easy win in Pakistan.
2010: India wins by 3 wickets in last-over thriller
The Dambulla match is well remembered for the clash between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar. The duo had some verbal exchange before Harbhajan hit Mohammad Amir for a six and sealed the game for India on the penultimate ball with three wickets in hand.
The match started with Pakistan batting first. Salman Butt’s 74 took the side to 267 before being ejected. In response, Gautam Gambhir’s 83 and MS Dhoni’s 56 kept India in the hunt and Harbhajan eventually helped the party achieve a thrilling victory.
2012: Virat Kohli’s special helps India beat Pakistan
In the Mirpur match, Virat Kohli had hit a fantastic 183 from 148 balls, a score that remains his best in ODIs to date.
Leading batsman, Pakistan put in 329 for 6 as both Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed scored for centuries, but Kohli’s marathon knock made fun of the big target. The right-handed batter hit 22 fours and one six to help India win the game with 6 wickets and 13 balls left.
2014: Pakistan lead over India in exciting match
The match in Mirpur went to the extreme as Pakistan needed 10 runs to win the latter over with just one wicket in hand. It was a special knock from Shahid Afridi — 34 out of 18 balls with two consecutive sixes in the last one over — that helped Pakistan get past India. In addition to Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez had also played a crucial 75-run knockout.
Leading batsman, India had put up 245 for 8 with half-century help from Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu. In response, Pakistan lost wickets in cluster towards the end, but Afridi’s quick cameo helped them chase the total successfully.
2016: India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets
India had bundled Pakistan for just 83 runs in the T20 format of the Mirpur tournament and the chase seemed like a breeze for them until Mohammed Amir really scared them off. Amir sent openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane away with their individual scores of zero each and then sent Suresh Raina back to the hut to leave India in a precarious state of 3 for 8. It was Virat Kohli’s 49 out of 51 who saved India’s blush in the meager chase as the side went on to win the game by 5 wickets and 27 balls left.
2018: India 2-0 Pakistan
India defeats Pakistan in Group A clash
In the India-Pakistan group match in Dubai, the Rohit Shama-led squad took a comfortable 8-wicket victory. As first batter, Pakistan was bowled out for 162, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kedar Jadhav picked three wickets apiece. In response, Rohit Sharma’s 52 and Shikhar Dhawan’s 46 led the Indian innings and the side took an easy win.
promoted
India remains dominant
In the Super 4s match, India defeated Pakistan by 9 wickets. The latter could only collect 237 for 7 as Jaspreet Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal picked two wickets apiece. In response, Rohit Sharma’s 111 didn’t matter and Shikhar Dhawan’s 114 mocked Pakistan’s total as India came home in 39.3 overs.
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