India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023: Rain forces Super Four match to move to Reserve Day after Men in Blue’s solid start

India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023: Rain forces Super Four match to move to Reserve Day after Men in Blue’s solid start

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Sep 11, 2023 - 10:31
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India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023: Rain forces Super Four match to move to Reserve Day after Men in Blue’s solid start
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Erratic weather continued to wreak havoc in the Sri Lanka leg of Asia Cup 2023 with the Super Four meeting between India and Pakistan getting rained off in Colombo on Sunday.

However, unlike the previous meeting between the fierce rivals at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on 2 September, the Super Four clash between India and Pakistan is set to move to the ‘Reserve Day’ on Monday, 11 September.

The Group A fixture in Pallekele had been washed out after India were bowled out for 266, with the Pakistani batters not getting to face a single delivery and the two sides collecting a point each from the No Result.

In the Sunday showdown at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, India got off to a flying start after Pakistan captain Babar Azam elected to field.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and opening partner Shubman Gill (58) brought up half-centuries and stitched a sparkling 121-run opening partnership in what was a defiant comeback from the Indian top-order after they had been blown away in Pallekele.

The reserve day’s proceedings will start from 3 PM IST onwards, after the rain stopped the proceedings on 4.52 PM on Sunday.

India had played 24.1 overs when the rain came down, and will resume from that point (24.2 overs) on the morrow. The two not out batsmen are Virat Kohli (8) and KL Rahul (17).

Read | What happens if India vs Pakistan Super Four clash gets washed out?

This also means that Indian players will have to take to the field for two more days in succession Monday for the reserve day against Pakistan and on Tuesday for their second Super Four match against Sri Lanka.

Rohit, Gill flay top-rated Pakistan attack

Before nature showed its ugly face, Rohit (56, 49 balls, 6×4, 4×6) and Gill (58, 52 balls, 10×4) were in spectacular touch while adding 121 runs in just 100 balls.

On Saturday, Gill had spoken about the need to be dominant against Pakistan pacers upfront, and that’s precisely what the Indian openers did.

Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi had troubled Rohit in the past with deliveries that came in to him at a brisk clip. But on this day, the Indian captain was better prepared.

A slightly opened up stance allowed him to deal with the incoming deliveries more effectively, and it was on display when he flicked Afridi over backward square leg for a six.

It was just a teaser as Gill also soon joined the party. He also trained guns on Afridi, slamming him for six fours in all.

There was this classy sequence when Gill smashed Afridi for three fours in the third over.

Gill began the assault with a couple of wristy flicks, and then plonked his front foot forward and punched the ball past the mid-off fielder.

In the fifth over, Gill again tore into Afridi with another delectable shot.

The right-hander shimmied down the track to reach the pitch of the ball, and then pummelled it over the head of the bowler. It was a magnificent confluence of pure timing and power.

India reached 61 for no loss in the first Power Play and it was also one of those rare occasions when Afridi failed to pick up a wicket in that segment.

Even though Afridi was completely neutralised, Pakistan tried to make some dents on the Indian batting line-up through pacer Naseem Shah.

When conditions are in his favour, Naseem can be a dangerous prospect, and here there was appreciable bounce too on the pitch.

The right-arm pacer worked up pace in excess of 140 kmph and Rohit might just consider himself extremely lucky not to snick a delivery behind to the stumper or to the waiting cordon.

However, Rohit had no such issues when leg-spinner Shadab Khan was introduced into the attack.

Rohit brought his pet pull shot out of the cupboard to punish the Pakistan vice-captain with three sixes inside his first two overs.

Shadab might have learned the lesson in a hard way that never ever drop the ball short against Rohit.

Pakistan’s desperate wait to get a breakthrough ended when Shadab eventually took a bit of revenge on Rohit.

Rohit could not time or place his uppish chip shot and Faheem Ashraf took a tumbling catch much to the relief of Pakistan.

Pakistan soon secured another wicket as Gill fell to Afridi, an iota of solace for the bowler after all that punishment earlier.

Gill shaped up for a drive through the cover but realised that the ball was a slower leg-cutter and all he could do was to prod the ball to Salman Agha.

Rahul, who came in for Shreyas Iyer suffering from back spasm, looked good during his brief stay, in the company of Kohli.

But all that came to a halt after the play was suspended due to heavy showers.

The ground staff tried their best to revive the match and there were inspections on 7 pm, 7.30 pm, 8 pm and 8.30 pm.

But that final inspection did not even take place properly as it began to rain once again and the officials had no other way but to activate the reserve day.

Brief Scores: India 147/2 in 24.1 overs (Shubman Gill 58, Rohit Sharma 56; Shaheen Shah Afridi 1/37) vs Pakistan

With inputs from PTI

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