Asia Cup 2023: India, Pakistan players share light-hearted moments in pavilion after washout

The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan game in Asia Cup 2023 got washed out on Saturday, September 02 much to the dismay of cricketing fanatics all over the world. The match which kept on getting halted due to rain showers could only see one completed innings as India batted first and were bundled out for 266 in 48.5 overs.

As soon as India’s innings ended, Pakistan couldn’t come out to bat as rain further frustrated the fans present at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele. As a result, the game had to be called off and the two teams ended up sharing points. After the game ended, an image of Indian and Pakistani players having a great time in the dressing rooms went viral all over the social media.

In the viral image, players such as Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and others were seen having a laugh together spreading the message of the ‘spirit of cricket’. Notably, in the past few games played between India and Pakistan, players have exhibited commendable camaraderie with each other putting the long history of heated verbal exchanges to rest.

Coming back to the match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first amid overcast conditions with chances of constant rain interruptions throughout the match.

The decision didn’t turn out to be fruitful as Pakistan seamers were all over Indian batters and reduced them to 66/4 after 14.1 overs. India’s old nemesis, Shaheen Afridi drew the first blood for his side as he dismantled the stumps of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in back-to-back overs.

Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan's record-breaking stand saved India

After the early blows, Ishan Kishan (82 off 81) and Hardik Pandya (87 off 90) forged a 138-run stand off 140 balls to stabilise India’s innings and saved them from an embarrassing collapse. Notably, it’s the highest fifth-wicket stand for India against Pakistan. Courtesy of their innings, India managed to reach a respectable total of 266 in 48.5 overs.

Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan with figures of 4/35 in ten overs while Haris Rauf (3/58, 9 overs) and Naseem Shah (3/36, 8.5 overs) also picked up three wickets each.

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