IND vs PAK: The Asia Cup Super Four clash between India and Pakistan moved into the reserve day as rain spoiled the party on the originally scheduled match-day on Sunday. India and Pakistan faced each other for the second time in the continental tournament in Colombo but the weather gods were not in a mood to let the game alone. The Men in Blue were asked to bat first and were at 147/2 when the Heaven gates opened up, not allowing any game after 24.1 overs were bowled.
As the match has the cushion of a reserve day, the fans can still witness a winner between the two Asian Giants. However, the weather forecast for the reserve day is not encouraging as well and it rained down heavily in Colombo on Monday morning. There are no further days for this clash and the game will end in a no-result if rain plays the wash-out.
Will rain end India's chances of qualifying for the Asia Cup final?
If the rain will wash out the reserve day as well, both the teams will share a point each and India will open their account in the points table as they don't have a point in Super Four so far. But it can affect the Men in Blue's chances of qualifying for the Asia Cup finals in a big way. After this match India have two more games and the maximum India can then score is five points. The Men in Blue are currently in third place in the standings, with Pakistan on top (2 points), followed by Sri Lanka on second (2 points). Pakistan have one more game after the India clash, while Sri Lanka have two. In case of a washout with India, Pakistan will then consolidate their top spot with three points in total. Sri Lanka currently have two points and are in second. In this case, India will need to beat both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to confirm their ticket for the final. A loss to either of the two can put them in the danger zone of getting knocked out.
But if the Indian team manages to win just one game, they can still qualify. However, in this case, they will be dependent on the other results. If the Men in Blue beat only Sri Lanka, they will want Pakistan also to defeat the Lankan Lions, as that will leave Sri Lanka only on two points and India with three. If Pakistan does not beat Sri Lanka, it will come down to the Net run rate as the Men in Green will have three points too.
If India beat only Bangladesh, then they can qualify only on net run rate and not on point difference. A loss to Sri Lanka will push the Dasun Shanaka-led side to have four points with Pakistan having three. The maximum India can go is also three so the clash between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be of the major interest for the Men in Blue. If Pakistan win against Sri Lanka, India will be knocked out but if Sri Lanka beat Pakistan, India can qualify if they have a better NRR than the Men in Green.
