India vs Pakistan at Asia Cup: Three classic matches to relive

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In sport, sometimes determination is nary amended mode to hole for a fierce rivalry than watching reruns oregon speechmaking summaries of erstwhile heart-stopping encounters.

And successful cricket, determination is nary bigger rivalry than India vs Pakistan.

2010: Harbhajan is simply a last-over leader with the bat

The 2010 variation of the Asia Cup was a four-team tourney played wholly successful Dambulla, Sri Lanka, wherever each teams played a round-robin radical stage, with the apical 2 progressing to the final.

India bushed Bangladesh portion Pakistan mislaid to Sri Lanka, making their June 19 brushwood a must-win for the Shahid Afridi-led side.

Pakistan opened with a 71-run concern betwixt Salman Butt and Imran Farhat. A par full of 267 followed the regular autumn of wickets thereafter. India’s fast-medium seamer Praveen Kumar picked up 3 wickets, but it was Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm rotation that kept Pakistan successful check.

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag opened the batting for India’s chase, and portion Sehwag fell aft an uncharacteristically dilatory innings, Gambhir kept going arsenic skipper MS Dhoni chipped successful with a half-century.

India seemed good acceptable earlier Pakistan’s spinners struck successful the past 3rd of their innings. Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Dhoni and Jadeja fell successful speedy succession, leaving India reeling astatine 219-6 with 49 runs required disconnected 29 balls.

Lower-order batter Suresh Raina had the work to instrumentality India location alongside off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Raina deed Ajmal for 12 disconnected 4 earlier 3 economical overs from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Amir.

With 8 runs to support successful the last over, Amir made a near-perfect commencement arsenic Raina ran a single. In a hopeless effort to get backmost connected strike, Raina had a mix-up with Harbhajan and was tally out, giving Pakistan the precocious hand. India needed 7 disconnected four, with Kumar facing Amir. A treble and a azygous brought Harbhajan backmost connected onslaught for the last 2 balls.

Harbhajan, who had an altercation with Akhtar a fewer balls earlier, swung astatine a magnitude delivery, clearing midwicket for a immense six. The Turbanator past turned towards Akhtar and fto retired a large roar arsenic the Indian dressing country celebrated wildly.

India were successful the last and Pakistan were astir out.

Brief scorecard

Pakistan: 267 successful 49.3 overs – Salman Butt 74 (85), Kamran Akmal 51 (41); Praveen Kumar 3-53 successful 10 overs.
India: 271 successful 49.5 overs – Gautam Gambhir 83 (97), MS Dhoni 56 (71); Saeed Ajmal 3-56 successful 10 overs.

India's Harbhajan Singh celebrates the triumph implicit Pakistan successful the Asia Cup one-day planetary cricket tourney successful Dambulla June 19, 2010. REUTERS/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds (SRI LANKA - Tags: SPORT CRICKET)

2014: Afridi seals it with 2 sixes and a kiss

The round-robin format continued for the 2010 tourney successful Bangladesh.

By the clip India faced Pakistan, some teams had 1 triumph and 1 nonaccomplishment and needed a triumph to bolster their chances for a spot successful the final.

Runs flowed disconnected Rohit Sharma’s bat connected a speedy Mirpur outfield, and India seemed connected their mode to a large full contempt losing Shikhar Dhawan early. Virat Kohli joined Rohit successful smashing the Pakistani pacers.

While Rohit went his merry way, India were dealt a stroke erstwhile Umar Gul dismissed Kohli for five. Regular wickets slowed India’s scoring rate, but they inactive posted 245, acknowledgment to a precocious flourish by Ambati Rayudu and Jadeja.

Pakistan’s top-order, peculiarly Mohammad Hafeez, gave them a bully commencement to the chase. However, it wasn’t agelong earlier India’s rotation twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra forced a illness worthy of Pakistani renown. Four batters were dismissed successful the abstraction of 42 runs.

Hafeez began the rebuild with Sohaib Maqsood successful an 87-run partnership, but some were dismissed successful consecutive overs, leaving Pakistan reeling astatine 203-6 disconnected 45. Maqsood’s tally out, successful particular, was a acquisition for India aft a immense mid-pitch mix-up with Shahid Afridi, conscionable aft Pakistan took the precocious hand.

Afridi, the past recognised batter, was joined by Gul arsenic Pakistan required 43 disconnected 30 with 4 wickets standing. Every Afridi plaything of his bat was met with trepidation arsenic the all-rounder was known for attempting large shots irrespective of the lucifer situation.

At first, helium targeted Jadeja, hitting him for a 4 and a six successful the 46th. The pursuing over, from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, besides brought 2 boundaries earlier Mohammad Shami kept Pakistan quiescent successful the 48th.

Kumar’s adjacent over, with 2 wickets and conscionable 3 runs, each but ended Pakistan’s hopes arsenic Afridi watched connected from the non-striker’s end.

The last implicit was handed to Ashwin, who had taken 2-31 successful his 9 overs frankincense far. The wily spinner gave India the cleanable commencement by bowling Ajmal archetypal up. Pakistani fans held their heads successful disbelief portion India’s celebrated wildly.

Junaid Khan was past in, and helium played a cleanable dab to pinch a single, bringing Afridi backmost connected strike.

With 9 needed disconnected four, the stadium held its enactment knowing Afridi could sway the lucifer either way.

As Ashwin began his transportation stride, Afridi stepped backmost and swung hard astatine a abbreviated ball. The transportation betwixt was by nary means ideal, but Afridi’s powerfulness cleared the ropes.

Afridi again gave himself country with the shot pitched person to his body, but erstwhile has that ever stopped Afridi from playing a risky shot? Another chaotic plaything skied the ball, but it again cleared the boundary.

Ashwin was each hands-on-head arsenic the Indian squad stood successful disbelief.

Afridi was each arms lifted wide successful his trademark star-man solemnisation arsenic Junaid embraced him. A delighted Afridi gave Junaid a speedy buss connected the feature earlier the prima all-rounder was mobbed by his teammates.

Brief scorecard

India: 245-8 successful 50 overs – Rohit Sharma 56 (58), Ravindra Jadeja 52 (49); Saeed Ajmal 3-40 successful 10 overs.
Pakistan: 249-9 successful 49.4 overs – Mohammad Hafeez 75 (117), Shahid Afridi 34 (18); Ravichandran Ashwin 3-44 successful 9.4 overs.

Pakistan's Shahid Afridi (R) celebrates with teammates aft Pakistan won the one-day planetary (ODI) cricket lucifer against India astatine the 2014 Asia Cup successful Dhaka March 2, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Biraj (BANGLADESH - Tags: SPORT CRICKET)

2016: Kohli trumps Amir successful low-scoring thriller

The Asia Cup 2016 was the archetypal played arsenic a T20 and produced one-sided radical games until India met Pakistan successful the 4th lucifer of the round-robin stage.

Pakistan mislaid Hafeez to the 4th shot of the match.

A mediocre umpiring decision, with Khurram Manzoor surviving a caught-behind, near India furious. However, Dhoni’s squad didn’t person to hold excessively agelong for Manzoor’s departure arsenic Afridi’s men continued to conflict connected a low-scoring pitch, losing wickets successful each different over.

In a full of 83, Sarfaraz Ahmed’s 25 was Pakistan’s lone redeeming grace. Hardik Pandya led the onslaught with 3 wickets, but each of India’s bowlers chipped in, including a then-fresh-faced Jasprit Bumrah.

The pursuit was seemingly simple, fixed India’s power-packed batting. Mohammad Amir, playing his archetypal Asia Cup since returning to the squad pursuing his cricket corruption-linked ban, had different plans.

The left-arm pacer made a near-perfect start, striking Rohit’s toes with a swinging yorker, lone for it to beryllium adjudged not out. There was nary surviving the pursuing inswinger, which struck the pads.

Kohli was adjacent successful to look the pumped-up Amir, swinging the shot to his will. A azygous switched onslaught with Ajinkya Rahane’s archetypal shot ending up being his last, Amir swinging the shot backmost into the right-hander viciously to onslaught his pads plumb successful front.

Amir’s 2nd over, and India’s third, brought much lbw appeals arsenic Kohli was struck connected the pads by different skilful transportation that straightened, but failed to impressment the umpire. Amir had his reward adjacent ball, arsenic Raina was the antheral to go, chipping an casual drawback to abbreviated mid-on.

Kohli and Yuvraj Singh saw retired Amir’s spell, nudging towards the target. Kohli, successful particular, showed nerves of alloy to spot disconnected Amir’s scintillating swing.

The Indian batting prima soon reaped his reward, however, settling successful to instrumentality boundaries disconnected each the bowlers, including Amir’s last.

India’s complaint was halted successful the 15th erstwhile Kohli fell connected 49, followed by Pandya, but the squad full was 76-3. New batter Dhoni and Yuvraj took six much deliveries to decorativeness the job.

India won by 5 wickets, but the lucifer could person had a nervy decorativeness were it not for Kohli’s brilliance.

Brief scorecard

Pakistan: 83 runs successful 17.3 overs – Sarfaraz Ahmed 25 (24); Hardik Pandya 3-8 successful 3.3 overs.
India: 85-5 runs successful 15.3 overs – Virat Kohli 49 (51); Mohammad Amir 3-18 successful 4 overs.