Prior to the rain delay, Pakistan had made a strong comeback, taking the wickets of both Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, before the 20th over.
COLOMBO: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Oct 10th, 2023) Rain on Sunday disrupted play during the much-anticipated Asia Cup encounter between India and Pakistan in Colombo.
The inclement weather forced a pause in the match at Premadasa Stadium, as reported by ESPNcricinfo. At the time of the interruption, India had scored 147/2 in 24.1 overs.
Prior to the rain delay, Pakistan had made a strong comeback, taking the wickets of both Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, before the 20th over.
The toss was won by Pakistan, who chose to bowl first in this high-stakes Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pakistan retained their starting lineup from previous matches, while India had to make two changes. Shreyas Iyer was replaced by KL Rahul due to a back spasm suffered just moments before the toss, and Jasprit Bumrah took Mohammad Shami's place in India's lineup.
The arch-rivals resumed their rivalry after a previous game was washed out by rain in Pallekele. In that encounter, India was dismissed for 266 in 48.5 overs, and Pakistan couldn't start their chase due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Pakistan, currently leading the points table, was coming off a convincing seven-wicket victory against Bangladesh in their first Super Four match, aiming to continue their winning streak in the Asia Cup.
Pakistan's captain, Babar Azam, expressed his team's intention to bowl first, citing the moisture in the pitch. He acknowledged the high intensity of an India-Pakistan match but focused on taking it one game at a time. On the other hand, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his team's preference to bat first, drawing confidence from their previous batting performance.
The Group stage match between India and Pakistan on September 2 had also been washed out in Pallekele.
Despite concerns of a 90% chance of precipitation, the morning in Colombo was bright and sunny. However, if rain were to interrupt the match later in the day, it would be rescheduled for Monday, the reserve day allocated for such clashes.
This match held significant importance, as a single loss in the Super 4 stage could place a team on the brink of "must-win territory." With Sri Lanka, in strong form, set to face both India and Pakistan in the coming week, the two points up for grabs were highly coveted.
There was also speculation that this could be the last India vs. Pakistan fixture in the 2023 Asia Cup, given Sri Lanka's strong contention to reach the finals. History indicates that India and Pakistan have never met in an Asia Cup final.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
