India clinched a record 228-run victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023. Kuldeep Yadav was the star for India, taking 5 wickets. This victory is India’s largest against Pakistan to date.
Both Virat Kohli (122 runs) and KL Rahul (111 runs) played crucial innings, helping India set a challenging score of 356. Pakistan struggled to chase this big target.
After a break of 10 months, Jasprit Bumrah returned with a strong performance, dismissing Imam-ul-Haq early in the innings. With support from Mohammed Siraj, India kept up the pressure on Pakistan.
Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, was on the pitch with Fakhar Zaman, but rain interrupted the game.
Once the players were back, Mohammad Rizwan was soon out for just 2 runs, thanks to Shardul Thakur. Earlier, a crucial wicket was taken by Hardik Pandya when he got Babar Azam out for 10 runs.
The strong batting partnership of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul led India to its huge score. Their impressive performance saw India set its highest ever ODI score against Pakistan.
Rain was a constant disruption, causing the match to be paused multiple times. Despite the ground staff’s efforts, the rain persisted, and the match had to be stopped for the day.
For this game, India made two changes: KL Rahul replaced the injured Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah returned to the side.
Previously, India had defeated Nepal by 10 wickets. In the last match against Pakistan, India had a shaky start but managed to recover thanks to a solid partnership between Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya.
The weather in Colombo has now improved, though rain was initially predicted to interfere with the match.
Key Moments of the Match:
- Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a strong start. Both played aggressively and reached their half-centuries.
- Pakistan got their first success when Shadab Khan got Rohit Sharma out for 56. Shortly after, Shaheen Afridi dismissed Shubman Gill for 58.
- The game was interrupted by rain, which caused the match to be postponed. It was decided to continue the next day from where it was left.
- On the reserve day, after some initial steadying, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli picked up the pace, with both reaching their centuries.
- Bumrah and Siraj opened the bowling for India and kept things tight. Bumrah got the early wicket of Imam-ul-Haq.
- Hardik Pandya then dismissed Babar Azam, and after a rain delay, Thakur got Rizwan out. Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling, as he took 5 wickets, playing a key role in India’s massive victory.
