The high-octane Super 4 match of Asia Cup 2023 between India and Pakistan has been rescheduled for the Reserve Day after play was cancelled on Sunday owing to heavy rain. The ACC had previously planned a reserve day for the big India vs Pakistan match, but the weather forecast for that match was not favorable.
It was a sunny day when the game began, where the Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first in Colombo and the India captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill played a counter-attacking knock to score 56 and 58 before losing wickets quickly one after the other. Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli and KL Rahul built the innings in the middle overs before the rain stopped the play in the Island nation.
The umpires conducted a few inspections; they were outside for a third when it began to rain again at about 8:00 PM. when the drizzle, forced the umpires to halt play for the day.
The game will continue at 3:00 PM on Monday. India will resume the game at 147/2 (24.1 overs), with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli remaining unbeaten on 17 and 8 respectively. The match will continue to be 50 overs per side India and Pakistan will each receive one point if Reserve Day is washed out in Colombo.
The Men in Blue will find it difficult to make it into the finals of the continental event if the game is washed out as Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already earned two points in this round by winning their respective first games. India’s next matches between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the Super 4 stages of the Asia Cup also have rain threats in Colombo.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) informed the spectators of the change in the playing conditions and urged them to hold onto their tickets in case a reserve day was required the reserve day for the India-Pakistan games invited a wide range of controversy as many experts expressed their disappointment over the decision of the Asian Cricket Council to reserve day only for the match between two Asian heavyweights.
The expense of conducting the thrilling encounter between the Asian rivals is high for sponsors and broadcasters, and the Asian Cricket Council is anxious about holding a full game in the Super 4 stage of the competition, which is the reason behind having a reserve day for the match between the two Asian giants.