Top 5 India vs Pakistan Rivalries In Asia Cup History. The India-Pakistan rivalry in the Asia Cup has seen some of the most exciting and memorable instances in cricket history. Matches had that edge of intensity, passion, and unpredictability that make up one of the greatest rivalries in cricket. Asia Cup 2025 is going to start on September 9. Here are the top five matches between the two teams in the tournament.
1. 1984 – India’s Dominant Start To Asia Cup
In the 1984 Asia Cup, India faced Pakistan in an inaugural match in Sharjah. Batting first, India scored 188 for 4, with Surinder Khanna scoring 63 not out and Sandeep Patil contributing 43. Chasing 189, Pakistan struggled and was bowled out for 134 in 39.4 overs. Chetan Sharma and Madan Lal took some key wickets, and India won by 54 runs; the first match in its Asia Cup history was a tremendous win.
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2. 2012 – Virat Kohli’s Record-Breaking 183
The 2012 Asia Cup was arguably one of the most memorable battles between the two teams. Pakistan batted first and managed to score 329 for 6 in 50 overs, with Nasir Jamshed scoring 112 and Mohammad Hafeez scoring 105. India was able to chase the total down with 13 balls to spare, courtesy of an epic innings of 183 runs off 148 balls by Virat Kohli, which included 22 fours and 2 sixes.
Sachin Tendulkar provided some much-needed support with 52 runs. Indian bowlers Ashok Dinda and Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets each, while Pakistani bowler Umar Gul picked up two wickets but did not help his team’s cause, as India had a thrilling six-wicket win.
3. 2010 – Gautam Gambhir’s Match-Winning 83
The 2010 Asia Cup battle was another nail-biter. Pakistan made 267, and India scored 271 for 7, winning by 3 wickets with one ball to spare. Gautam Gambhir led the Indian innings with a cool 83, while Virender Sehwag made 47 and MS Dhoni added 48. Indian bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra each had two wickets, keeping pressure on Pakistan. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Aamer bowled well for Pakistan, but it wasn’t enough to stop India’s chase.
4. 2014 – Shahid Afridi’s Last Two Balls Sixes
In the 2014 Asia Cup, Pakistan produced one of the more thrilling finishes against India. Chasing 245 runs, needing two sixes off the last two balls, Afridi hit back-to-back sixes, and Pakistan stole the victory. Earlier, Mohammad Hafeez scored 75, while India’s notable contributions came from Virat Kohli (49), and Ravichandran Ashwin’s two wickets for 40 runs were notable. Despite tight spells from Mohammed Shami and Ashwin, Pakistan held their nerve to win by a single wicket.
5. 2023 – India’s Commanding Victory
The last memorable encounter was during the 2023 Asia Cup Super Four stage when India scored a massive 356 for 2, with Shubman Gill scoring 110, Shreyas Iyer 75, and Virat Kohli 50, while Pakistan was bowled out for 128, giving India a win by 228 runs. Kuldeep Yadav achieved a five-wicket haul against Pakistan’s batting order, while Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf struggled to contain Indian batters.
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The India-Pakistan rivalry in the Asia Cup continues to provide memorable cricketing moments with the added opportunity of growing passion, skills, and intensity in each encounter, while fans can only wait to see what the future encounters will look like, knowing that they will be equally exciting and dramatic.
