India vs Pakistan ends in no result, Babar Azam & Co. qualify for Super Four stage

Both Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya showcased a wonderful rescue act while Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled a fiery spell but rain forced India and Pakistan to split points in an Asia Cup match that had all the ingredients of a thrilling finish on Saturday Before the heavens opened up India posted 266 all out in 485 oversKishan 82 off 81 balls and Pandya 87 off 90 balls milked 138 runs for the fifth wicket stand off 141 balls to lift their side from 66 for 4 in 141 oversThe no result meant that Pakistan ended their Group A proceedings with 3 points and it also assured them of a place in the Super Four of the tournamentIndia who logged a point from their opening fixture are expected to beat Nepal on Monday and progress to the Super Four However the match offered some bright points to both teams before the soggy end From an Indian perspective the performance of Kishan and Pandya will be treated as a happy portendThey joined forces after Pakistan pacers Afridi who accounted for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early and Haris Rauf combined to rock Indias toporderIn a sense it was a rather unfamiliar job for both Pandya and Kishan batsmen who generally love to give a wallop to the bowlersBut the conditions in Pallekele which always had a lick of drizzle and a highoctane bowling attack meant that the Indian pair would have to curb their shotmaking instinctsAlso ReadIND vs PAK Nearempty stands lack of buzz for Asia Cup game raises eyebrowsThey had to be precise in the selection of each shot and needed to be extra patientAfridi 4 for 35 tailed the ball in Naseem Shah tested their awareness outside the offstump and Rauf 3 for 58 pounded in those heavy balls but the Indian duo soaked in all those tough momentsThe boundaries and big shots were not easy to come by but Pandya and Kishan pushed the board ahead with singles and their 50run partnership came in just 52 ballsPandya was happy to play the second fiddle Kishan during their fifth wicket allianceThis was the first time the lefthander was batting below the No 4 slot in his career and he didnt show any signs of nervesThat Pakistan captain opted to give a longer spell to his spinners Shadab Khan Mohammad Nawaz and Agha Salman also played its part in Kishan getting settled in the middleKishan brought his 50 in a mere 54 balls There were times when Pakistan pacers particularly Rauf tested him with shortpitched balls trying to exploit his Achilles HeelHowever his innings might have eased some worries in the Indian camp about a wobbly middleorder in the absence of KL RahulOnce Kishan departed Pandya took charge of the Indian innings and slammed spinner Nawaz for a massive six over midwicketThe innings of Pandya could be viewed as another brick in the new profile of an inningsbuilder that the allrounder has been trying to compile for himself This surefootedness of Pandya will certainly be welcomed by the team thinktank The leftarm pacer rolled his fingers to deliver a slower ball and Pandya just prodded it into the hands of Salman at extra coverFrom thereon a few beefy blows by Jasprit Bumrah carried India past the 250run mark However just after the end of the Indian innings another spell of steady downpour started and it never allowed the match to resumeWith PTI inputs