KARACHI: In a high-stakes showdown at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, India has set a colossal target of 357 runs for Pakistan in the Super 4 match of the Asia Cup.
After being put into bat first by Pakistan captain Babar Azam, India displayed dominance right from the beginning. India's opening duo, skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, laid a solid foundation with a partnership of 121 runs. However, their dismissals in quick succession were followed by an unfortunate interruption due to rain, with India at 147/2 after 24.1 overs.
Despite the adverse weather conditions, Pakistan's bowlers were unable to make any inroads on the reserve day as India's seasoned campaigners, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, stole the limelight with respective centuries. The pair amassed an incredible 233-run partnership, with Kohli remaining unbeaten on 122, while Rahul notched up 111*.
Now, Pakistan finds themselves facing a monumental challenge as they aims to replicate their recent batting prowess in chasing mammoth totals.
Out of Pakistan's 56 attempts to chase targets exceeding 300 runs, they managed to successfully achieve this feat on 10 occasions. Notably, four of these successful chases have occurred since the year 2022.
Their impressive record includes victories in chases of 301 runs against Afghanistan (2023), 337 runs against New Zealand (2023), 306 runs against West Indies (2022), and 349 runs against Australia (2022). However, their only blemish in this remarkable run was a narrow miss against New Zealand earlier this year when they fell short of chasing an exact 300 runs in Karachi.
Pakistan fans are now eagerly awaiting Pakistan's response to this monumental challenge, as they look to add another chapter to their extraordinary record of successful chases in ODIs.
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
