Indian batters Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya registered the highest partnership for fifth-wicket or below for India against Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2023 match at Kandy, Sri Lanka on Saturday. During the high-octave clash between two-arch rivals, India was in a troublesome situation at 66/4 after losing its key anchors like skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer.
But Ishan and Pandya maintained their calm and guided India to normalcy, one delivery, one shot at a time. Together, they forged a stand of 138 runs. The partnership ended with Kishan getting dismissed for 82 off 81 balls, consisting of nine fours and two sixes. Before this, the highest partnership by an Indian pair for a fifth wicket or below against Pakistan was between Rahul Dravid and Mohammed Kaif, who stitched a 135-run partnership in 2005 at Nagpur.
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The highest partnership between a pair for the fifth wicket or below between these teams is still a 142-run stand between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad at Nagpur in 1987. Also, this stand between Kishan and Pandya is the third-highest stand for fifth wicket or below in ODI Asia Cups.
The highest is a 214-run stand between Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed, made recently against Nepal in this ongoing tournament. Before this, a 164-run stand between Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan and Samiullah Shinwari against Bangladesh in 2014 was the highest for a fifth-wicket or below in Asia Cup ODIs.
India suffered some early blows as they lost the wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma (11), Virat Kohli (4) to Shaheen Afridi and Shreyas Iyer (14) and Shubman Gill (10) to Haris Rauf. India won the toss in their opening game of the Asia Cup 2023 and opted to bat in the match being played at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
India’s Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Pakistan’s Playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
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