India and Pakistan are two of the most powerful powers of cricketing in Asia. They have hundreds of Test, ODIs, and T20Is between them. India has the highest number of Test wins of 183, ODI wins of 567 and T20I wins of 170, and Pakistan has 151 Test wins, 521 ODIs and 156 T20Is. Although they have made it, these giants have never played a final in Asia cup.
India vs Pakistan Head-to-Head in Asia Cup
In the last few years, India and Pakistan ran into conflict 18 times in the Asia Cup, a mix of ODIs and T20Is. India has won 10 times and Pakistan has won 6 matches and one has been a no result match. Their competition has been stiff though it never reached a point of ultimate confrontation.
India won the inaugural Asia Cup in 1984 under the captainship of Sunil Gavaskar defeating Pakistan and Sri Lanka in round-robin games. But later tournaments were influenced by political strains. In 1986, India boycotted the tournament that was held in Sri Lanka.
By 1988 the tournament had been expanded to four teams. India and Sri Lanka qualified as Pakistan and Bangladesh failed. India won the title with the help of 76-runs by Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Near Misses: India-Pakistan Asia Cup Final Chances
In 1995, India and Pakistan almost collided in the Asia Cup final. The Moin Khan led Pakistan team lost to the Sri Lanka by default in the final league game which disqualified them in the final. Competition was intense and India and Pakistan ended up with the same points but Pakistan net run rate saw them miss the final.
Equally, in 1997 and 2008, Pakistan performed well in the Super Fours but not well enough to make it to the summit clash. In 2012, Pakistan topped the list but India was lagging as a result of net run rate, and Bangladesh passed instead.
In the 2000 edition, Pakistan sparkled as they won all the group matches and finally won their first Asia Cup defeating Sri Lanka in the final. India completed as the third one, failing to qualify.
Recent Performances: Asia Cup 2022 and 2023
India lost Super Four matches to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the 2022 Asia Cup, which was in the T20 format. They therefore failed to capture the last step. Pakistan with its great history once more did not make it to the peak of the battle.
In the 2023 Asia Cup, India won the Super Fours by having 4 points and Pakistan was the last with 2 points. Led by Rohit Sharma, India defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final, and won their eighth Asia Cup.
Will Asia Cup 2025 Change History?
The future Asia Cup 2025 is generating a buzz. The Indian and Pakistani fans are waiting with bated breath the potential of the first-ever India-Pakistan final in the history of the tournament. The two teams have been strong over the past few games and there has been speculation that there could be a historic final.
Political strains and the structure of tournaments have not allowed this confrontation to occur at the last level decades. Nevertheless, the rising rivalry in cricket, high competition and increasing quality of both teams indicate that the 2025 Asia Cup may be the first to disrupt the trend.
