Is there a reserve day for IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023 match? Likely scenario if rain washes out the game?

India are taking on arch-rivals Pakistan in Match No.3 of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. The contest began on time under overcast conditions in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2.

However, the heavens opened up twice during the Indian innings after they won the toss and elected to bat first. Thankfully, the interruption was short-lived, with play resuming in a few minutes on both occasions.

Just when it appeared as if the weather gods had relented, the showers were back during the innings break after India had been bowled out for 266.

With the threat of showers floating around in the build-up to this much-anticipated encounter, persistent rain raised the fans' curiosity about the possibility of resumption on the following day.

Unfortunately, the unpopular answer is that there is no such possibility as there is no reserve day in place for either the Group stage or the Super Four stage of the tournament. Only the grand finale to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has a reserve day in the case of rain.

Should rain wash out the India-Pakistan clash, several possible qualification scenarios open up for the Group A teams - India, Pakistan, and Nepal. Pakistan have already beaten Nepal in the Asia Cup opener by 238 runs to bag two points.

India and Pakistan will share a point each from this game, resulting in the Men in Green automatically qualifying for the Super Four stage with three points. However, Team India will be in a must-win situation in their final Group A fixture against Nepal (no points) at the same venue on Monday, September 4.

The winner of the India-Nepal game will join Pakistan as the second team to advance to the Super Fours.

Considering the grim weather at Pallekele, another washout in the India-Nepal clash can not be completely ruled out. In that case, the Men in Blue will advance to the Super Fours along with Pakistan, with two points to Nepal's one.

India and Pakistan are yet to meet in an Asia Cup Final

Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam hope to be the first captains to contest an India-Pakistan Asia Cup final.

While the rich history of India-Pakistan encounters is full of great contests, it is surprising that the teams have never contested an Asia Cup final. The ongoing tournament is the 16th edition of the continental tournament, with India having a 7-5 edge in the previous Asia Cup battles.

The Men in Blue have also won the prestigious continental competition seven times (the most), while Pakistan has been crowned champions only twice.

Sri Lanka is the only other side to win the tournament, having done it six times, including in the T20 format last year.

Team India also holds all the aces in recent history against their arch-rivals in ODIs, winning their last three meetings, with two of the three coming at the 2018 Asia Cup.

They have also won seven of their last nine ODIs against the Men in Green dating back to 2013. However, Pakistan still hold the overall edge of 73-55 in 50-over matches.

The two teams will look to advance to the summit clash for the first time in the same edition and script another chapter in their storied history.