The highly-anticipated showdown between India and Pakistan in the 2023 Asia Cup ended in a disappointing no-result in Kandy on Saturday, September 2. Rain played spoilsport during India’s innings, causing interruptions, and it poured heavily during the innings break, preventing the players from returning to the field.
There was a glimmer of hope when an inspection occurred at 9 PM local time, with the players warming up, but unfortunately, the rain returned, dashing any chances of resuming play.
It could be said that the rain spared both teams from an uncertain outcome. India had posted a challenging total of 267 runs, a score they might not have been entirely satisfied with, while Pakistan might have had doubts about chasing it down.
However, India’s performance was commendable, especially considering they were struggling at 66runs for the loss of 4 wickets before Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya steered them to a safer position.
The adjusted target under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method was set to be 226 runs in 36 overs when the game was about to resume around 9:20 PM. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the rain intervened again, denying any chance of a match being completed.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan took a light-hearted dig at Pakistan and their fans, referring to their reputation for breaking television sets after losing to India in cricket matches. Pathan humorously commented, “Bahot saare Padosiyon ke TV bach gaye aaj” (A lot of neighbors’ TVs were saved today).
Bahot saare Padosiyon ke TV bach gaye aaj;)
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) September 2, 2023
The Indian cricket team were left in a spot of bother against Pakistan after the Men in Green took 4 early wickets of the Men in Blue, leaving them tetering at 66 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. But then Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya played crucial innings, taking India to 266 runs total. The 2nd inning meanwhile was never played due to rain and the match eventually ended in no-result.
As a result of this match’s no-result outcome, Pakistan secured their place in the Super Four stage of the tournament with three points, having previously won their tournament opener against Nepal. India, on the other hand, will need to defeat Nepal in their upcoming game on Monday, September 4, to ensure their qualification for the next round, the Super Fours.
