Asia Cup 2022: 10 facts about India vs Pakistan ahead of blockbuster contest

Seven-time champion India will open its Asia Cup 2022 campaign against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium today (August 28).

The six-team Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament is being played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the event was moved out of Sri Lanka due to the economic crisis in the country.

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Ahead of the big clash, take a look at 10 facts about India versus Pakistan rivalry in the Asia Cup, and also about today’s contest.

1. In the history of the Asia Cup, with the tournament being played in both the 50 and 20 over formats, India has dominated Pakistan with 8 wins against the arch-rivals. They have met 14 times and Pakistan managed to win 5 and the other game ended in no result.

2. The first-ever Asia Cup was played in 1984 in the UAE with India winning the trophy. The tournament, in the 50-over format, involved three teams – India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India defeated both teams in the round-robin format and topped the table to lift the trophy. The first-ever India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash took place on April 13, 1984 in Sharjah and India won by 54 runs, under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy.

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3. India pulled out of the second edition of the Asia Cup in 1985 due to strained cricket relations with host Sri Lanka.

4. Sunday’s game against Pakistan will be Virat Kohli’s 100th T20I. He will become only the second player after New Zealand’s Ross Taylor to reach the milestone.

5. This year’s tournament is the 15th edition of the Asia Cup. It is interesting to note that India and Pakistan have never faced off each other in an Asia Cup final. India has won the title 7 times (1984, 1988, 1990-91, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018), and Pakistan twice (2000, 2012).

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6. Virat Kohli holds the record for the highest individual score in India-Pakistan Asia Cup matches. He scored 183 in the 50-over format in 2012 in Mirpur, Bangladesh. This is also the highest-ever score in the history of the tournament.

7. In the previous edition in 2018, India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and won the trophy beating Bangladesh in the final in Dubai. India defeated Pakistan twice (League phase, Super Four).

8. For today’s game, India will miss the services of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, who are injured and not part of the squad. Pakistan’s left-arm paceman Shaheen Afridi is also not available due to an injury.

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9. In this year’s Asia Cup, India and Pakistan are in Group A along with qualifier Hong Kong. They are likely to meet at least twice (again in Super Four), and if they top the Super Four, then they clash again in the final on September 11.

10. In Dubai, India and Pakistan have met only once in a T20I. Last year, in October, during the T20 World Cup 2021, Pakistan defeated India by 10 wickets.