With Haris Rauf missing from Pakistani bowling lineup, Kohli and Rahul orchestrate a dominant 233-run partnership.
India have set a massive 357-run target for Pakistan in their rain-hit Super Four stage Asia Cup 2023 match in Colombo.
Summary
The first half of the match played over two days hasn’t been good if you’re a Pakistan fan. Babar Azam’s men have been second-best so far — if even that.
They have been set a humongous total of 357 to chase but all will be forgotten if they somehow pull it off. And if it has to happen, then we all know Babar will have to bat through the innings.
India’s innings
50th over
A wicketless day for Pakistan comes to an end. Both the batters come from the ground with more than a century of runs each. It has been a batting masterclass from the two experienced Indian batters. Rahul makes a comeback with a century of runs. The ever-great Kohli was faultless. India crossed the 350 mark in the fiftieth over. 18 from the last over to bring the Indian total to 356 for the loss of two wickets.
49th over
Naseem was taken off after his second delivery, we hope that the pacer is okay. Iftikhar replaced him giving away eight runs from the over. Indian total now stand at 338 for the loss of two wickets.
48th over
The great, Virat Kohli, completed his13,000 runs in the ODI format and a century of runs against the Green Team, Both batters stand at a century of runs in the 48th over. Rahul opened his hands against Shaheen after he completed 100 runs, swatting back-to-back boundaries against the southpaw to bring from the 48th over. Indian total now stand at 330 for the loss of two wickets.
47th over
Kohli smashed Naseem for a six, similar to his shot against Haris Rauf at the MCG. A good length delivery sent over the ropes towards long off. Rahul completed his century with a double on the last ball of the 47th over. 12 from the over as the Indian stand at 319 for the loss of two wickets.
46th over
The Indian batters got stuck with Shaheen’s ninth over as they tried to open their arms against the southpaw. Seven runs from the over brings the Indian total to 307 for the loss of two wickets.
45th over
Faheem was brought back into the attack by the Pakistani skipper after Iftikhar proved to be expensive. The onslaught, however, was not to be stopped as the Indian side accumulated 14 runs from the 45th over. The over also consequently brought up 300 runs for the blue team.
44th over
Naseem was brought back to bowl the 44th over as India continued to take charge to the Pakistani bowlers. A good over by Naseem under the conditions. Six from it brings the Indian total to 286 for the loss of two wickets.
43rd over
Iftikhar was slapped for a boundary over the ropes ads the great man came down the crease to get closer to the pitch of the delivery. 16 from the over as two doubles and two singles along with a four ana six brings the Indian total to 280 for the loss of two wickets
42nd over
Shaheen came back into the attack as a little bit of pressure was applied from the Pakistan side. Kohli skied one down the fine leg against as the pacer Naseem scrambled to the ball but couldn’t grab it as the ball fell a few metres in front. Rahul went after Shaheen on the last ball and scythed past backward point to bring nine runs from the over. Indian total now stand at 264 for the loss of two wickets.
41st over
Four singles from Iftikhar over brought the Indian score to 255 for the loss of two wickets. A tight over by Pakistan after some time. The fourth wicket partnership now stands at 131from 139 balls.
40th over
Faheem was targeted by Kohli as he was dispatched on the first delivery of the 40th over. 250 up for India at the loss of two wickets, eight of Faheem’s eighth over.
39th over
Virat Kohli brought up his 66th odi half-century in the 39th over. A boundary from Rahul on the last bowl ruined what was a good over until then by Shadab. Six from it bring the Indian total to 243 for the loss of two wicket.
38th over
An inside edge of Kohli’s bat went to the boundary behind fine leg for a four. Pakistan trying to control the run rate. Wickets in hand for the blue team should not worry the Indian side. Good over from Faheem, two singles and an unlucky boundary gives six runs in the 38th over. India now 237 for the loss of two wickets.
37th over
The Pakistani bowlers tried to keep it tight in what looks like a really good batting wicket. Three singles from Shadab’s ninth brought the Indian score to 231 for the loss of two wickets. Kohli and Rahul both tried to go after the leggie but a tight over from Shadab ends the 37th.
36th over
Virat tried to lash at Faheem but the pacer kept it tight and gave only three runs from the 36th over. Indian side now 228 for the loss of two wickets.
35th over
Rahul continued the charge against the spinners, getting 10 runs off the first two balls. Four single from the last four bowls from Shadab ended the 35th over with the Indian score at 225 for the loss of two wickets.
34th over
Rahul’s half-century came up with a single against Faheem who was brought back into the attack. Kohli slashed at Faheem on the third delivery of the 34th over. Seven from Faheem’s fifth brought the Indian total to 211 for the loss of two wickets.
35th over
Rahul continued the charge against the spinners, getting 10 runs off the first two balls. Four single from the last four bowls from Shadab ended the 35th over with the Indian score at 225 for the loss of two wickets.
34th over
Rahul’s half-century came up with a single against Faheem who was brought back into the attack. Kohli slashed at Faheem on the third delivery of the 34th over. Seven from Faheem’s fifth brought the Indian total to 211 for the loss of two wickets.
33rd over
Rahul stepped out on the fourth ball of the 33rd over and lifted it over the mid-off fielder for a boundary. Kohli mirrored his batting partner as he guided the bowl down to third man for a boundary. Valiant effort from Shaheen but he couldn’t keep the ball from touching the ropes. India now 204 for the loss of two wickets after the end of 33rd.
32nd over
Shaheen leaked seven runs in the 32nd over as Kohli manipulated Fakhar over the boundary. Three doubles and a single brings the Indian score to 193 for the loss of two wickets.
31st over
Iftikhar was dispatched over the ropes by Rahul on the first bowl of his second over. In the 31st over, the Indian batters started to up the anti against as Iftikhar went for 10 of his first two deliveries. A single from the last ball accumulated 11 runs for India, bringing their score to 186 for the loss of two wickets.
30th over
50 partnership of 70 balls came up for the third wicket partnership of Rahul and Kohli in Shaheen’s sixth over. The pacer was slashed to the ropes by Rahul on the second delivery, India targetting Afridi. 8 runs of the 30th bring the Indian total to 175 for the loss of two wickets.
29th over
Iftikhar replaced Faheem in the 29th over. A tight over by the spinner and gave only 3 runs. Pakistan starting to pile pressure up on the Indian side. India now 167 for the loss of two wickets at the end of 29th over.
28th over
Naseem found the edge of Kohli’s bat on the third ball of the 28th over as the ball raced away to the boundary. Six runs from the over and a review wasted by Pakistan as Kohli tried to go down to fine leg on last ball of the over. Clear daylight between bat and bowl, India now 163 for the loss of two wickets.
27th over
Faheem replaced Shadab in the 27th over. Three dots and three singles ended a cheap over from Faheem. India now 155 for the loss of 2 wickets after the end of 27th over.
26th over
Naseem was brought back into play by the skippper after the 25th over. The pacer had given 23 runs in his five overs untill then as he bowled beautifully in his first spell yesterday. Two singles from the 26th over brought the Indian score to 152 for the loss of two wickets. Kohli and Rahul biding their time against accurate bowling from Pakistan first up.
25th over
In his three overs since Sharma’s wicket, the leggie has kept it really tight giving away only 9 runs. He started the 25th over as rain started to pour down after the first delivery. The players had to be sent in with the ground covered completely under covers. The play for suspended for the day. The game saw a delayed start on the next day with Shadab continuing his over from the dot ball with Virat facing. Three singles to complete another good over from Shadab brought the Indian score to 150 for the loss of two wickets at the half way mark.
India were 147/2 at the first ball of the 24th over when the play was paused. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will resume their innings when the match starts.
But the rain threat still loomed on Monday. ESPNcricinfo shared a video of rainfall in the Sri Lankan capital shortly before the match was scheduled to begin, saying, “The Colombo skies have spoken.”
According to The Weather Channel’s forecast, there was an 87 per cent chance of thunderstorms at 2:30pm, with the match scheduled to start at 3pm local time (2:30pm PST).
The report also said that while storms would end by 4pm, more were “possible later”. It said that there was an 80pc chance of thunderstorms at 7:30pm.
A minimum of 20 overs is required to be bowled in the two innings to get a result. If today’s match is also washed out, then both the teams will take one point each, which will propel Pakistan to the top of the Super Four rankings after having won against Bangladesh. India are scheduled to play against Sri Lanka tomorrow (Tuesday).
Meanwhile, former cricketer Wasim Akram posted a video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) talking about the weather in Colombo ahead of the match.
“Good morning. Rain has been taking place on and off throughout the night. But now it’s clear — not clear clear — but you can see the clouds and it’s breezy,” he said.
“The weather looks fine for now but let’s see what happens by the time the game starts,” he said.
“But you see, I know it’s frustrating for every one of us, even us guys sitting here but you can’t control the weather,” he said. “I suppose we can only pray and hope the weather gets better and I hope you enjoy good cricket”.
Separately, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a message on X, reminding fans that they could use their yesterday’s tickets for today.
Sunday’s match
Virat Kohli, on eight, and KL Rahul, on 17, were batting on Sunday when rain forced the players off and groundstaff worked tirelessly to try and restart the game after showers stopped.
After three inspections and fans helped to dry wet patches, the umpires looked like restarting play after over four hours of stoppage, but rain came to have the final say.
Skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (58) gave India a blazing start in a stand of 121 off 100 balls to put Pakistan on the backfoot.
The batsmen took on the new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with aerial shots in the powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.
Both Shaheen and Naseem looked menacing in their first spell as the ball kept flying past the bat, and one edge from Gill went between two slips.
Rohit smashed leg-spinner Shadab Khan for two sixes and a four off successive balls in a 19-run over to raise the noise of the Indian fans at a largely empty stadium.
Shadab redeemed himself after the first drinks interval to send back Rohit caught out, and Shaheen returned to get Gill in the next over.
Scoring dipped as Kohli and Rahul looked to rebuild before rain intervened.
