Arguably the most anticipated and the most sought after match of the Asia Cup T20 2016 would take place tomorrow, when India vs Pakistan lock horns for a T20 game at the same place where they had met the last time for a T20I, the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur.
Also read: India vs Pakistan - Live streaming, team news, squads, date, time
In the light of the drama and the brouhaha that has followed the recently cancelled bilateral series between the two nations, that saw everyone else, from Sri Lanka to England, ready to make India and Pakistan play, except the participants themselves, this match attains even greater importance.
Also read: India vs Pakistan Head to Head in T20Is, match records and facts
Pakistan would be opening their Asia Cup campaign through this game, while India have already won their first game against Bangladesh by 45 runs, and would look to make it two in two.
That the two arch-rivals would be facing each other only in ICC tournaments has already been echoed by the BCCI, and it only makes this match a moment to savour and preserve for the fans hungry for an Indo-Pak clash.
However, this wasn’t always the case. India and Pakistan had continuous relations in terms of cricket matches in phases, and those phases have produced some of the greatest limited-overs games as well as Test matches in the history of the game.
The same was the case with India-Pakistan matches in the Asia Cup. Over the years, India and Pakistan have played 10 matches in the Asia Cups from 1984 to 2014, and the head-to-head record stands even at 5-5.
This game, hence, would be about bragging rights and to inch ahead of the rival, at least in terms of numbers.
Here, we recollect the previous ten encounters between the neighbours and have a look at how they had panned out to be.
13 April 1984, Sharjah- India won by 54 runs
In the very first edition of the Asia Cup, the neighbours played out a low-scoring game in which India edged out their opponents quite comprehensively.
In a 46-overs-per-side game, India, led by Sunil Gavaskar, batted first, but could only manage a paltry total of 188/4.
Wicket-keeper batsman Surinder Khanna top-scored for India with 56, while Sandip Patil and Suni Gavaskar chipped in with 43 and 36 respectively.
In reply, Pakistan fumbled in their run-chase and were bowled out for 134 inside 40 overs. Roger Binny took 3 wickets for 33 runs in 9.4 overs while Ravi Shastri accounted for 3 more giving away just 40 runs in his 10.
31 October 1988, Dhaka- India won by 4 wickets
India made it two in two in the Asia Cup when they once again bettered their neighbours, this time in Dhaka, by 4 wickets. Arshad Ayub, the Indian spinner was the wrecker-in-chief for the Pakistanis picking up a five-wicket haul, and thereby dismantling the Pakistani line-up.
Kapil Dev and Maninder Singh also picked up 2 wickets each as Pakistan were bundled out for 142 in 42.2 overs.
The Indian reply wasn’t perfectly orchestrated either, as only three of the eight batsmen who batted could get into double figures.
But it was Mohinder Amarnath who was India’s hero for the game as his unbeaten 74 helped India overhaul Pakistan’s total with 4 wickets in hand and 10 overs to spare.
7 April 1995, Sharjah- Pakistan won by 97 runs
Pakistan finally got one back at their old enemies when they defeated India in the 1995 Asia Cup, comfortably by a margin of 97 runs.
Batting first, Pakistan, helped by Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 88, Wasim Akram’s 50 and Aamir Sohail’s 40 put up a formidable total of 266/9 in their 50 overs.
In reply, despite half-centuries from Navjot Sidhu and Sanjay Manjrekar, India were restricted to 169 all out in 42.4 overs primarily by Aquib Javed who picked up 5/19 in 9 overs.
Aamir Sohail accounted fro two Indian scalps while Wasim Akram picked up one wicket.
3 June 2000, Dhaka- Pakistan won by 44 runs
Pakistan levelled the stakes in the Asia Cup with back to back victories as they beat India by 44 runs in Dhaka in the Asia Cup 2000.
Mohammad Yousuf’s unbeaten century, helped by Moin Khan’s 46 and Saeed Anwar’s 43 propelled Pakistan to 295/7 in 50 overs.
Ajay Jadeja was the lone warrior for India and was the last wicket to fall after making 93, as none of the other Indian batsmen could put up a fight, that included the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar.
Abdul Razzaq picked up 4 wickets for Pakistan while Arshad Khan picked up two.
25 July 2004, Colombo- Pakistan won by 59 runs
Pakistan raced ahead in terms of head-to-head record with an emphatic 59-run victory in the 2004 Asia Cup. Shoaib Malik’s 143 led Pakistan to 300/9 in 50 overs.
Malik took just 127 balls to score those runs and hit 18 fours and a six in his innings. Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yasir Hameed scored 34, 29, and 31 respectively.
India stuttered in their response, and despite a valiant 78 by Sachin Tendulkar, could manage only 241 for the loss of 8 wickets in their 50 overs.
26 June 2008, Karachi- India won by 6 wickets
Shoaib Malik scored back-to-back centuries for Pakistan against India in Asia Cups, as he hit a magnificent 125 to help Pakistan post 299 on the board in a league stage match of the Asia Cup 2008.
However, the Pakistani opener’s knock (Malik opened in this game) was overpowered by the Indian opener Virender Sehwag’s knock, as Sehwag blasted 119 off just 95 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes to help India hunt down the 300-run target with ease, with more than 7 overs to spare.
He was also helped by Suresh Raina’s 69-ball 84, and Yuvraj Singh’s 47-ball 48.
2 July 2008, Karachi- Pakistan won by 8 wickets
If India had made a mockery of a 300-run chase in the previous game, it was Pakistan’s turn now to do the same, as a target of 309 set by the Indians, in a Super Four stage game in the same tournament, was mauled over by Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq who combined for an unbeaten 144-run partnership to take Pakistan home.
Earlier India had put up a challenging total of 308 helped by MS Dhoni’s 76 and Rohit Sharma’s 58. Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan also chipped in with cameos of 49 and 38 respectively.
Younis’ unbeaten 123 and Misbah’s 70 meant that Pakistan had absolutely no problem in chasing the total down, with more than 4 overs to spare.
19 June 2010, Dambulla- India won by 3 wickets
Opener Salman Butt’s 74, and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal’s 51 lower down the order, helped Pakistan reach 267 in their 50 overs. Praveen Kumar picked up 3 wickets for India.
In reply, Gautam Gambhir, the Indian opener neutralised Butt’s knock, with 83 runs of his own, while the Indian wicket-keeper and captain, MS Dhoni made 56 to overpower Akmal’s knock to guide India to victory with three wickets in hand.
Saeed Ajmal picked up 3 wickets for Pakistan.
18 March 2012, Dhaka- India won by 6 wickets
Centuries from both the openers, Mohammed Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed, who made 105 and 112 respectively, and Younis Khan’s half-century led Pakistan to a gigantic total of 329/6 in 50 overs.
But these efforts were belittled by Virat Kohli’s career-best 183, who along with half-centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, guided India to victory with 6 wickets in hand and more than 2 overs to spare.
Bowlers from both sides withstood some hammering in the game, with Ashok Dinda picking up 2/47 for India and Umar Gul accounting for two Indian wickets while giving away 65 runs.
2 March 2014, Dhaka- Pakistan won by 1 wicket
Perhaps the most enticing and the most entertaining match of all the Asia Cup encounters between India and Pakistan came during the 2014 edition of the tournament when Shahid Afridi’s consecutive sixes in the last over of the match sealed the deal for Pakistan.
Chasing India's 245, Pakistan needed 10 runs off the last over with two wickets in hand.
On the first ball of the 50th over, Saeed Ajmal was dismissed by Ravichandran Ashwin to reduce Pakistan to 236/9. Thereafter, Junaid Khan, the new batsman, took a crucial single off the second ball to bring Afridi, who was batting on 22 off 16, on strike.
Afridi, known for his big hitting prowess, showed in this game that he could do it in pressure situations too, as he smoked the next two deliveries out of the park, to lead Pakistan to a memorable victory by one wicket.
Apart from these games, India and Pakistan also played in the 1997 Asia Cup in Colombo, but that match ended without a result due to rain interruption.
Yuvraj Singh has the record for most no. of sixes in his mesmerising knock of 72 (36 balls)
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