India vs Pakistan has been the blockbuster fixture in the realm of world cricket. Tempers flare, emotions flow and words battle when two neighbours and giants of world cricket face each other. The Asia Cup tournament has always been a battle of supremacy and it’s Team India who has come out on top against their arch rivals
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Head to Head
India and Pakistan have met 17 times in the Asia Cup. Here are the records:
| Tournament Name | Matches Played | India Won | Pakistan Won | No result |
| Asia Cup ODI | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Asia Cup T20 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup First Match
India and Pakistan met in the Asia Cup for the first time in 1984. Sharjah Cricket Association was the battleground for a journey of an epic tale that would take and turn throughout the history of modern cricket. On a rain hit day, Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar won the toss and elected to bat first. India accumulated 188 runs from their designated 46 overs as Surinder Kumar scored a fighting 56 run innings.
In reply, Pakistan capitulated and was bowled out for 134. The double act of Ravi Shastri and Roger Binny both picked up three wickets. Pakistan were their worst enemies on the day as four of their batters ran themselves out in a comical display of running between the wickets. India would go on to win the inaugural tournament by beating Sri Lanka in the final.
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup in the 1980s and 1990s
India and Pakistan met again in the 1988 version in Dhaka and there was little improvement from the Pakistanis, India won the game by four wickets with 26 balls to spare. The charismatic off-spinner Arshad Ayub picked up a fifer to restrict Pakistan to a meager 142. Mohinder Amarnath was in scintillating form and made an unbeaten score of 73 to guide the Indians over the line.
The Asia Cup returned to Sharjah for their next meeting and this time Pakistan recorded their first ever win against their nemesis in Asia Cup. Inzamam-Ul-Haq played a flurry of shots on his way to 86 and Pakistan posted an impressive total of 266/9. The Sharjah pitch and the weather conditions were ideal for swing bowling and Aaquib Javed bowled with a lot of verve and intent. The Pakistani quick five wickets to beat India by a massive margin of 97 runs.
The sides met in Sri Lanka for the 1997 version of the tournament. Venkatesh Prasad bowled like a man possessed as the fast bowler tore into the defenses of the Pakistani batsmen. From his five overs Prasad annihilated the Pakistani top order with four wickets. Pakistan were reeling at 30/5 as bad light stopped play. The umpires called the players back to the field but the game eventually had to be abandoned due to concurring light issues.
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup in the 2000s
The next decade of the rivalry witnessed some of the best cricket played between India and Pakistan on the continental stage. Pakistan slightly edged India by winning three out of five games. The 2010 match in Dambulla was a nerve wrecking affair in a game where India eventually emerged victorious.
Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi had no hesitation in choosing to bat on a flat Dambulla surface. Pakistan posted 267 on the board with brilliant batting performances from Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt. Praveen Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with three scalps, Zaheer and Harbhajan claimed a couple of wickets each.
India was well on course to chase the target down relying on the bat of Gautam Gambhir. The top order batsman from the capital scored a stroke-filled innings of 83. But Pakistan came back strongly after taking 4 for 39 to stop the onslaught. Suresh Raina was on the verge of claiming victory for his side but fate intervened. Raina was run out and India still needed six more runs from the final four balls. Harbhajan and Praveen rose to the occasion to snatch a victory at the expense of the Pakistanis.
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup in the 2010s and 2020s
India has made a habit of thrashing their opponents on a regular basis during the last decade. In fact they have won five out of the last five ODIs against Pakistan on the continental stage. The latest game is a true testament on the Indian might against the Pakistanis.
In a game that had to be played over two days as rain came pouring down repeatedly in Colombo. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul put up a stand of 233 together as India made a huge total of 356. In reply, the early misery on the face of swing bowling reached its crescendo as Kuldeep Yadav picked up a fifer to demolish Pakistan by a huge margin of 228 runs. The hugely anticipated game has been a foregone conclusion over the last few years in India’s favour.
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Trophy Records
India has been clearly the better side of the two as they have won the tournament seven times to Pakistan’s two.
| Tournament Name | India Champions | Pakistan Champions | India Runners-Up | Pakistan Runners Up |
| Asia Cup ODI | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Asia Cup T20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Individual Records
Highest Run Scorer: Shoaib Malik (428 runs), Virat Kohli
(407 runs)
Highest Wicket Taker: Saeed Ajmal (8 wickets), Anil Kumble 7 (wickets)
Highest Innings: Virat Kohli (183 runs), Shoaib Malik (143 runs)
Best Bowling Figure: Arshad Ayub (5/21), Aaquib Javed (5/19)
When India faces Pakistan in cricket, it surpasses the normal boundary of a competitive sport. The prestige and glory of winning turns out to be the ultimate rewards, whereas ignominy awaits for the vanquished. However, In the Asia Cup, India has become a dominant side with a wonderful bunch of match winners and these games have become a sort of formality over the last few years.
