IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2023 Highlights: Match washed out; India, Pakistan share points

This is not the first or last visual you will see of the Sri Lankan ground staff doing magical things. They are removing the covers. 

There are some spectators who were readier than others for the day. 

So no action for the next 17 minutes at least. Of course, this inspection is subject to if there are no rains in the ensuing time. 

If this match is reduced to 45 overs, Pakistan's target will be 254. It will be 239 in 40 overs, 203 in 30 overs, 155 in 20 overs.

The umpires are chatting with the ground staff as they start making their way around the ground. They are looking at the watch time and again during the conversation. They need to get the calculators out now, a lot of mathematics to do now. You, meanwhile, can get some dinner on your plates and your choice of beverage in your glasses. If you haven't made any dinner, go ahead, cook something up. We could be here for some more time. How is the rain you ask? Unproblematic. 

Reasons for an ODI to be abandoned between India and Pakistan have ranged from assasinations to teams conceding in protest. However, wash-outs have happened just twice in all the games that they have played against each other. The last time this happened was in Toronto on September 17, 1997. Ramiz Raja led Pakistan, who batted first while Sachin Tendulkar was India's skipper. Saeed Anwar was unbeaten on 74 off 84 while Sourav Ganguly had taken two wickets when the two teams went off and never came back.

The ground is completely covered up. Rahul Dravid is chatting away with his former India teammate and match referee Javagal Srinath while looking at the DLS sheet. The Pakistan innings is going to be curtailed here. 

The rain has intensified and every inch of the ground is now covered up. No one does it quite like the Sri Lanka ground staff.

The rain has pretty much gone down to a sparse drizzle. The ground staff taking off some covers off the outfield but the playing area remains very much wrapped up. 

“That was our plan with the new ball. I think both (Virat and Rohit) were crucial wickets, every batter is the same for me. But I think I liked Rohit's wicket better. The plans by our fast bowlers worked. Naseem is bowling at 150 kph, really happy with that, he's really fast. The new ball might swing and seam, nothing much after that. It will be easier to score runs once the ball gets old (in the run chase).”

Just as the players make their way off, rain returns. The ground staff is running on to the pitch with the covers as well. Well Pakistan let this game drift a lot. Their fielding was as sloppy as the spin bowling was in the middle overs and despite all that, India have only managed to score a competitive 266, instead of a mammoth total. Just shows how dominant Pakistan would have been had they kept their eye on the game throughout this innings. 

Bumrah holes out at midwicket. What a cameo he has played, 16 in 14 balls. Naseem Shah ends with figures of 3/36 after going almost the entire match with no wickets to show for his brilliant efforts. All of India's wickets fell to pace, in fact the spinners never really came close to containing the batters, let alone taking any wickets.

Naseem gets a second off the second ball of the 49th. Kuldeep nicks it to the wicketkeeper.

And what an extraordinary spell it has been. He ends with figures of 4/35 in 10 overs. His wickets are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. India 261/8 in 48 overs.

Bumrah on 11 off nine, Kuldeep at the other end having made 2 in 8. There are three more overs to go for India.

Beautifully played by Bumrah as Rauf overpitches a tad bit. He has raced to 11 off 8.

Length ball agling in from Afridi for the second ball of the 46th, Bumrah lifts it over mid-on and it lands just in front of the boundary line.

Miscues the pull and Shadab Khan takes a wonderful catch. That is that for India's batting lineup, they only have tailenders left now. The pacers have returned and demolished any sense of comfort that the Indians may have felt.

He has turned this game right back around in Pakistan's favour now. Jadeja edges it and Rizwan takes the catch. India 242/7 in 44 overs

Shaheen Afridi returns and gets the big wicket off the first ball. Fullish length delivery, slow one and that deceives Hardik. He pushes at it and fails to keep it down, Agha Salman takes a good catch at cover.

Pandya c Agha Salman b Shaheen Shah Afridi 87 (90), India 239/6 in 43.1 overs

Fantastic over from Naseem, who really has been the pick of the bowlers today despite not getting a single wicket thus far. Just two runs given. Pandya is on 87 off 89, Jadeja on 14 off 19. This partnership has now produced 35 runs in 33 balls.

Short of a length from Shadab outside off, Pandya cuts it straight to the backward point fielder and the he lets the ball do a Howrah bridge on him!

Fourth ball of the 40th, Pandya absolutely nails the pull shot. The ball races past square to the boundary and he moves into the 80s.

Hardik Pandya getting a move on, Pandya cuts away hard off the first ball of the 40th bowled by Rauf and the ball races to the boundary. Then he opens the face of the bat to beat deep third man. 

Ravindra Jadeja is the new man in and he has scored three in seven balls. Hardik Pandya is on 68 off 77. Another misfield allowed the Indians to run two easily.

A wicket at last for Pakistan and it is Haris Rauf who breaks the partnership. It was clear that Kishan will be looking to hit more boundaries from here on considering he was struggling between the wickets. Short of a length and outside off from Rauf, Kishan skies the pull and Babar takes the catch at mid-on. A fantastic innings comes to an end. 

Kishan c Babar Azam b Haris Rauf 82 (81), India 204/5 in 37.3 overs

Ishan Kishan seems to be having some difficult running between the wickets, which is not good news at all for India. He is the wicketkeeper, remember. He is on 82 off 80, Pandya on 65 off 756. The partnership is worth 137 off 138.

No-look six! Nawaz sends in a length ball, Pandya slog-sweeps him over deep midwicket.

Ishan Kishan has now moved to 80 off the first ball of the 37th over. We are now starting to reach that part of the innings where these two players can switch into T20 mode.

India are 187/4 in 36 overs. Shadab fumbles at point, allowing the batters to run a second run that simply wasn't there otherwise. India are 187/4 in 36 overs, Pandya on 56 off 70, Kishan on 75 off 77.

This partnership is now worth 117 in 126 balls and it will be difficult for you to find too many moments where either Pandya or Kishan were lucky to escape a dismissal. Babar may have missed a trick by not giving the ball to all three of his pacers for an over each in these middle overs. Now Haris Rauf comes back.

This one has come in 62 balls. A measured innings this from the all-rounder and these two have pretty much turned this match on its head.

Salman flights the first ball on middle and leg, Kishan paddles it in front of short fine leg. India are 172/4 now in 33.1 overs.

Kishan takes a step down the pitch to Nawaz for the third ball of the 33rd and hits the ball right over the bowler's head for his second maximum of the day.

With the 31st over done we have gone into a drinks break and so that gives us time to look back on what has happened in this match so far. Pakistan came in breathing fire, taking three wickets in the first 10 overs. India's problems deepened when they lost the struggling Shubman Gill in the 15th over and they were reduced to 66/4. Since then, though, a combination of lose bowling from Pakistan's spinners combined with some efficient ODI batting from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya seems to have helped India stage an impressive recovery. Kishan has scored his fourth consecutive ODI half century while Pandya is in his 40s. India are now 156/4 in 31 overs, Kishan is on 58 off 63, Pandya on 43 off 56.

Kishan is on 56 off 61, Pandya on 38 off 50. Afridi taken off once again and now it is Agha Salman and Shadab Khan sending the balls in.

His fourth consecutive half century in this format. It has come in just 54 balls. He came at a time when India were in all sorts and Pakistan's pacers were taking wickets for fun. Ishan has made the most of whatever the spinners have bowled and has also looked rather unperturbed by the few balls he faced from Afridi. He is playing out of position but has done exactly what India need. The fact that they still need him to do more shows just how much that early salvo from the Pakistan pacers has dented the Indian cause for now.

India are 135/4 in 27 overs, Kishan on 48 off 51, Pandya on 33 off 41. Six players have batted for India today, six players have bowled for Pakistan as well.