(Image Credit: ICC via X)
It has never just been a battle of wins and losses but a battle of moments that live to be remembered as far as the India Pakistan rivalry is concerned. The matches between these two giants of the Asia Cup have in the past years given rise to some of the most intense finishes and jaw dropping performances. These are five of those games, all of the 21st century, that made the tournament really light up
Pakistan had given India a target of 268 in the 2010 Asia Cup. The pursuit on India was a nervous one and wickets dropped here and there. But the middle order was not going to surrender: Gautam Gambhir 83 and MS Dhoni 56 took their place, Suresh Raina contributed some vital runs in the end. It was reduced to four runs required off two balls Harbhajan Singh had clouted a six in the second last ball to carry off the win with three wickets to go. With this win, India made it to the final which they won.
Just possibly the most discussed chase in the history of the Asian cup was in the year 2012. Pakistan set a very strong mark of 330. The monstrous response by India was propelled by a 183 of Virat Kohli, and anchored by the experience of Sachin Tendulkar 52 and power hitting of Rohit Sharma 68. India had won by six wickets and 13 balls to spare. This game continues to serve as a model of winning high pressure chases.
Asia Cup 2014 was a last over thriller. India had set Pakistan 246 to win. The innings of Pakistan appeared to be shaky when Shahid Afridi entered the field with five wickets lost and with a long way to go. Hafeez gave stability at a stinging 75. However 34 out of 18 by Afridi in the fireworks was enough to bring Pakistan back and they won with only one wicket remaining.
These are the same India vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022. India had 148 ahead of them and the game was tightening each minute. The 33 off 17 balls of Hardik Pandya proved to be crucial at the end. India carried the day by two balls, and had five wickets to spare. Nothing enormous, but a conventional under pressure fightback.
During the same Cup in the Super Four stage in 2022, Pakistan needed to pursue a score of 182 by India. Mohammad Rizwan 71 and Mohammad Nawaz 42 played critical middle overs and Pakistan was over the line with only a ball to spare, having five wickets remaining. It made what appeared to be a fairly straight run into an epic escape.
These five meetings are a reflection of why India vs Pakistan in the Asia Cup is so entertaining it is a test of temperament in crunch situations, big performances of star players, and it frequently goes to the wire. They remind us that in competitive cricket, it is never a game of sheer talent, but hard work, passion and time. With Asia Cup 2025 in sight, these classics provide a standard. Fans want it to repeat itself intense, memorable, unpredictable.
Also Read: IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025: Indian Bowlers vs Pakistani Bowlers H2H Records, Stats
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