Pakistan stopped India’s unbeaten streak in the Twenty20 format of Asia Cup cricket on Sunday (September 4) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium when they won the contest by 5 wickets with a ball in hand. The match was the first fixture for both the teams in the Super Four round. Key points of the India vs Pakistan contest as well as India’s first T20 defeat in the Asia Cup cricket are discussed in this article. India’s brilliant run in the Twenty20 format Asia Cup cricket The Indian team won all of their five matches in the first edition of the T20 Asia Cup in 2016 in Bangladesh, followed by two group stage matches in the 2022 edition. However, India’s brilliant run came to an end when their arch-rival Pakistan overcame them in a crucial Super Four round clash. After winning seven consecutive matches in the Twenty20 format, India suffered their first defeat in the Asia Cup cricket event. They had a brilliant outing in the 2016 Twenty20 Asia Cup cricket. The Indian side won four matches in the group stage before overpowering the host Bangladesh by eight wickets in the final of the 2016 Asia Cup. Read: Asia Cup 2022: 17 milestones await Indian and Pakistani players India’s match results in the Twenty20-format Asia Cup (as on September 4, 2022) Opposition Result Ground Bangladesh India won by 45 runs SBNCS, Mirpur Pakistan India won by 5 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur Sri Lanka India won by 5 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur UAE India won by 9 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur Bangladesh India won by 8 wickets SBNCS, Mirpur Pakistan India won by 5 wickets DSC, Dubai Hong Kong India won by 40 runs DSC, Dubai Pakistan Pakistan won by 5 wickets DSC, Dubai    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Ind v Pak: This time it's Pakistan's turn to edge a thriller Asia Cup 2022: Key takeaways from the India vs Pakistan Super 4 Match Batting first, India had a blazing start to their innings and eventually settled for 181/7 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, Pakistan chased down the target in 19.5 overs with 5 wickets in hand. With this victory, Pakistan avenged their group stage match loss to India last week. Here are some key talking points from the match. Toss Prior to the contest, fielding first had won fifteen out of seventeen matches in Dubai since 2021. That is why the toss has become a vital factor at this venue because every captain wants to field first. The Pakistan vs India Super Four match was no exception, as Babar Azam chose to field first. His decision was proved right as Pakistan won the contest in the final over. Indian openers’ fiery start The Rohit Sharma-KL Rahul pair finally had a blazing start in the Asia Cup 2022. They made 54 runs together in 5 overs against Pakistan before Rohit gave away his wicket to Haris Rauf in the first ball of the sixth over. Rohit played a 28 off 16 balls, indicating his coming back to actual rhythm. Rahul, on the other hand, contributed 28 runs off 20 balls. Read Mushfiqur Rahim retires from T20Is Virat Kohli’s solid batting display Virat scored a half-century against Pakistan, making it two in a row in this event. Kohli’s solid 60 off 44 balls guided India to post a challenging total on board. However, he wasn’t so ruthless in his innings and even conceded three consecutive dot balls in the final over before getting run out in the fourth delivery. Shadab Khan’s disciplined bowling Pakistan’s leg-spinner Shadab Khan had another brilliant game with the ball. He had good control in his bowling, making Indian batters work hard to score runs. Shadab picked up the wickets of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant and finished his spell with a 4-0-31-2 bowling figure. Rizwan’s another responsible batting display Mohammad Rizwan is arguably the best T20 opener in the world right now. He once again played a responsible 71 off 51 balls and formed a 73-run stand with Mohammad Nawaz. When Rizwan was dismissed, Pakistan had 147 runs on board in 16.5 overs. At that stage, they were only 35 runs away from victory. Read Dahani ruled out of Pakistan match against India in Super 4 Improving Mohammad Nawaz's batting order When Pakistan were down to 63/2 within the 9th over, sending pinch-hitter Mohammad Nawaz to the crease was a brilliant decision by captain Babar Azam. Rizwan didn’t disappoint his captain by playing a 42 off 20 balls. His aggressive batting display put India on the backfoot. Arshdeep Singh's dropped catch and Pakistan's victory India fought hard till the end and they were even a slight favourite when Pakistan required 32 off 16 balls. Had Arshdeep Singh not missed a straightforward catch of Asif Ali in the short third man area on the third ball of the 18th over, India would have been in a better position. Asif finished his innings with 16 off 8 before losing his wicket on the fourth ball of the last over and Pakistan won the match on the following delivery. Bottom Line There is a high expectation that India and Pakistan will play three matches during the Asia Cup 2022, including the final. The cricketing world has already witnessed two closely-contested matches between the two arch-rivals in the ongoing event. India won the first match in the group phase, while Pakistan handed India their first T20 defeat in the Asia Cup cricket. The India vs Pakistan Super Four match gave both sides some valuable points. The fans are now eagerly waiting to see who will come out on top if both sides meet in the final match. Read Sri Lanka beats Afghans to open Asia Cup's Super 4 stage

After a thrilling group phase in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, four teams have secured a place in the Super Four round. The teams that have qualified for the next round are: India, Pakistan from group A and Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka from group B. The complete fixtures of the Super four phase and which teams are in the best shape to advance to the championship match are discussed in this article. The Complete Super Four Fixtures for the Asia Cup 2022 The organizer didn't include any days off after the group stage when making the tournament schedule. Therefore, the thrilling Super Four phase of the Asia Cup 2022 is scheduled to begin on Saturday (September 3). Every Super Four game will start at 8 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). India finished first in group A after winning both of their fixtures against Pakistan and Hong Kong, respectively. Pakistan finished second in group A with a thumping 155-run victory over Hong Kong in Sharjah on Friday (September 2). Read Jadeja out of Asia Cup for India with knee injury In group B, Afghanistan finished top with two dominating victories over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, respectively. Sri Lanka managed to finish second in the group with a 2-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday in Dubai. The 2022 Asia Cup Cricket Super Four Round Fixtures Date Match Venue  September 3 (Saturday) Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Sharjah Cricket Stadium September 4 (Sunday) India vs Pakistan Dubai International Cricket Stadium September 6 (Tuesday) India vs Sri Lanka Dubai International Cricket Stadium September 7 (Wednesday) Afghanistan vs Pakistan Sharjah Cricket Stadium September 8 (Thursday) India vs Afghanistan Dubai International Cricket Stadium September 9 (Friday) Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Dubai International Cricket Stadium September 11 (Sunday) Final Dubai International Cricket Stadium    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read https://unb.com.bd/category/sports/when-sachin-tendulkar-tweets-cricket/100016 Who are the favourites to reach the 2022 Asia Cup cricket final? The Afghanistan national men’s T20 cricket team has shown real promise in the ongoing event by overcoming Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in their group B fixtures. India, on the other hand, breezed through their group A matches. Let’s take a look at which teams have the best chance to secure a place in the final. India India is the best team in the tournament given their overall strength in the squad. The team is in the best shape at the moment, especially after two satisfying performances. The Indian Twenty20 reserve side is as strong as the main team. Besides, they have a firm T20 head-to-head record over their next round opponents. India will likely dominate the Super four round fixtures in their quest for a final berth. India’s H2H records (T20I) over Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan (as on September 3, 2022) Opposition Matches Win Loss Pakistan 10 7 2 Sri Lanka 25 17 7 Afghanistan 3 3 0    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Bangladesh bow out of Asia Cup, lose to Sri Lanka Pakistan Pakistan’s group stage match against India was a tight one, which they lost by 5 wickets in the final over. However, Pakistan made a strong comeback in their second fixture of the tournament against Hong Kong. They beat the Hong Kong side by 155 runs, which is the second biggest margin of victory among the ICC full members. Pakistan’s performance in the Super Four round is expected to be even better. They will be second favourites to qualify for the final. Afghanistan The Afghan side has stunned everyone with their commanding display in the competition. The team seems to have the right balance to upset big teams on any given day. Afghanistan’s bowling department is one of the best in the world. It’s not just their spinners who have put the opposition under pressure; their fast bowlers are equally up to the task at the moment. Their batters are aggressive in nature. They have the ability to shift gears at any moment of the game, as witnessed in the contest against Bangladesh. If any team other than India and Pakistan deserves to play the final, it would be Afghanistan. Read Singapore-born Tim David in Australia's T20 World Cup squad Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan team fought hard against a wounded Bangladesh side to secure their place in the next round. This Lankan T20 side is young and inexperienced, so playing against stronger opponents will be a valuable learning experience for them. Sri Lanka’s primary aim will be to beat Afghanistan in the Super Four phase. Besides, they will try to upset India and Pakistan, but given their current form, it would be a hard task. Verdict As per Super 4 fixtures of the Asia Cup 2022, Sharjah Cricket Ground will host two matches in this phase, while Dubai will host the remaining matches, including the final on September 11. This round will begin with a match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on Saturday. India and Pakistan will start the Super Four phase as favourites to qualify for the championship match. However, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will not give the two Asian heavyweights an easy time without putting up a good fight. Read Schedule of ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers announced

India took sweet revenge for their disappointing T20 World Cup 2021 loss to Pakistan on Sunday (August 28) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India started off their Asia Cup 2022 campaign with a winning note by beating arch-rival Pakistan by 5 wickets with two balls to spare. The Indian side was in control of the majority of the innings despite the fact that the match lasted till the final over. Let’s take a look at who were the five key performers in the India vs Pakistan Group A match. 5 Crucial Performances in the India vs Pakistan Group A match  Both teams are taking part in the tournament without having two key fast bowlers – Shaheen Shah Afridi of Pakistan and Jasprit Bumrah of India. Pakistan incorporated Naseem Shah into the playing XI while India included Arshdeep Singh. Both the youngsters had a good outing in the contest, particularly Naseem Shah, who was lauded for his dedication to finishing his spell despite struggling with cramps. It was Virat Kohli’s 100th Twenty20 International match but his barren form with the bat continued as the right-hand batter was dismissed for 35. The major performer of the match was India’s Hardik Pandya. He stole the majority of headlines for his effective all-round performance which eventually saw India come out victorious in the match’s final over. Here are the five key performances in the contest. Read Asia Cup 2022: 8 milestones within sight of Bangladesh players Hardik Pandya’s brilliant all-round performance Hardik had a terrific outing both with the bat and bowl against Pakistan in Group A’s first match. He picked up wickets when a partnership was building in the middle. His pinpoint accurate shot deliveries were effective against Pakistani batters, forcing them to surrender. Hardik Pandya came to the crease when India lost 4 wickets for 89, a crucial stage in the match. The aggressive-minded right-hand batter was determined to play his natural game, and he was successful in his mission. When the equation was 6 needed from 3 balls, the Indian campaign looked tense. But Pandya remained calm in the middle and secured the victory by smashing a huge six to Nawaz in the long-on region. 33 off 17 with the bat and 3/25 with the ball was more than enough for Hardik Pandya to win the Player of the Match award. Ravindra Jadeja’s crucial knock  Ravindra delivered a crucial knock with the bat while India were pursuing Pakistan's 147. India had fallen to 50/2 when Jadeja stepped onto the field. Jadeja was moved up to No. 4 in order to build the team's innings. He played a crucial 35 off 29 balls to repay his captain's faith in him. Ravindra Jadeja remained at the crease till the 20th over in order to keep India in the run chase. Read Asia Cup 2022: How Bangladesh can defeat a confident Afghanistan team Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s timely breakthroughs In Jasprit Bumrah's absence, experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has to take additional responsibilities in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 for India. With a 4/26 bowling figure, he was the most successful bowler in the match against Pakistan. Bhuvi picked up wickets at the crucial stages of Pakistan's innings. Along with the wicket of skipper Babar Azam, the wickets of Shadab Khan and Asif Ali in the death overs were crucial. Naseem Shah’s sparkling T20I debut Pakistan may have lost the battle in the final over, but there are some positives they can take from the contest. One of the positives is young pacer Naseem Shah. Naseem was the replacement for the injured Shaheen Shah Afridi. He was excellent with the ball and picked up KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav. But he was mainly lauded for his commitment to finishing his spell despite suffering cramps. The 19-year-old showed promise in his debut T20I match with a 4-0-27-2 bowling figure. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament Shahnawaz Dahani’s aggressive batting in the death overs Although Dahani was picked as a front-line bowler, it was his batting in the death overs that caught the eyes of everyone. Shahnawaz came to the crease when Pakistan had 128 runs on board in 18.3 overs. He scored 16 runs in 6 balls with 2 huge sixes and carried Pakistan's total to 147. Thanks to Shahnawaz Dahani's power hitting, Pakistan managed to put a challenging total on board. Way Forward The first match of Group A between India and Pakistan was one of the most exciting T20I contests between the two teams. With this victory, India have extended their head-to-head lead with seven wins. The two sides will likely face off again in the Super Four round, and the possibility of meeting in the final is also very high. Players from both sides were pumped up during the contest, and some of them had outstanding outings. The performance level of the cricketers will be improving as the tournament progresses. Therefore, more exciting cricket is waiting in the Asia Cup 2022. Read Asia Cup 2022: Live streaming TV channels, online platforms to watch from Bangladesh

The cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan is one of the most fascinating and intense in the world. India and Pakistan have met many times against each other, and the latter has the best head-to-head record overall. However, India holds a slight advantage over Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket. Let's take a deeper look at the history of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan ahead of the fifteenth edition of the event in the United Arab Emirates. Pakistan and India's overall performances in the men's Asia Cup cricket competition India has won the most events in the Asia Cup competition—seven in all. In contrast, Pakistan has only triumphed in two tournaments. Their most recent title came in 2012, when they defeated Bangladesh in the championship game by just two runs. India India first won an Asia Cup trophy in the inaugural edition of the competition in 1984. They are the reigning champions of the tournament. Overall, India has reached ten finals out of thirteen, which indicates how dominating they are in this particular tournament. They chose not to participate in the 1986 Asia Cup due to their tense cricketing relations with the tournament's host Sri Lanka. Additionally, the Indian team triumphed in the maiden Twenty20-format Asia Cup in 2016. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament India's men's cricket team has won 31 of the 49 games it has played in the Asia Cup's ODI format, for a winning percentage of 65.62. In the tournament's Twenty20 format, India has won five of the five games. India’s overall results in the Asia Cup Year Host Results  1984 UAE Champions  1986 Sri Lanka DNP 1988 Bangladesh Champions 1990/1991 India Champions 1995 UAE Champions 1997 Sri Lanka Runner-Up 2000 Bangladesh Third 2004 Sri Lanka Runner-Up 2008 Pakistan Runner-Up 2010 Sri Lanka Champions 2012 Bangladesh Third 2014 Bangladesh Third 2016 Bangladesh Champions 2018 UAE Champions   Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Cup Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022 Pakistan Pakistan first won an Asia Cup trophy in the seventh edition in 2000 in Bangladesh. They beat Sri Lanka in the final by 39 runs to clinch their maiden Asia Cup men’s cricket trophy. Twelve years later, in Bangladesh, they won their second trophy at the Asian Cup of cricket. Surprisingly, Pakistan's national team has played only four finals and they haven’t reached a championship match since 2016. Due to tense political ties with the host India, Pakistan opted not to participate in the 1990–1991 edition of the competition. With a winning percentage of 59.09, Pakistan's men's cricket team has won 26 of the 45 games it has played in the Asia Cup's ODI format. They have won two out of four games in the Twenty20 format of the tournament. Pakistan’s overall results in the Asia Cup Year Host Results 1984 UAE Third 1986 Sri Lanka Runner-Up 1988 Bangladesh Third 1990/1991 India DNP 1995 UAE Third 1997 Sri Lanka Third 2000 Bangladesh Champions 2004 Sri Lanka Third 2008 Pakistan Third 2010 Sri Lanka Third 2012 Bangladesh Champions 2014 Bangladesh Runner-Up 2016 Bangladesh Third 2018 UAE Third    Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Cup Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad Asia Cup: Head-to-Head Record between India and Pakistan  Every time Pakistan and India play in a cricket match, it is a euphoric and tense occasion for the supporters of the two sides. The Pakistan national men’s cricket team has the edge over India in the overall head-to-head battle across all formats with 87 wins. However, India’s national men’s cricket team has held the advantage in Asia Cup events. Two teams have faced each other fourteen times in this particular competition over the years. India has led the head-to-head contest with eight wins. Oppositely, Pakistan has five wins and one game had no result. In addition, India and Pakistan have never faced off in an Asia Cup final despite being the two biggest cricketing nations in the subcontinent. Asia Cup records between Pakistan and India Match Date Venue Result 13 April, 1984 Sharjah India won by 54 runs 31 October, 1988 Dhaka India won by 4 wickets 7 April, 1995 Sharjah Pakistan won by 97 runs 20 July, 1997 Colombo No Result 3 June, 2000 Dhaka Pakistan won by 44 runs 25 July, 2004 Colombo Pakistan won by 59 runs 26 June, 2008 Karachi India won by 6 wickets 2 July, 2008 Karachi Pakistan won by 8 wickets 19 June, 2010 Dambulla India won by 3 wickets 18 March, 2012 Dhaka India won by 6 wickets 2 March, 2014 Dhaka Pakistan won by 1 wicket 27 February, 2016 Dhaka India won by 5 wickets 19 September, 2018 Dubai India won by 8 wickets 23 September, 2018 Dubai India won by 9 wickets    Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Cup Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy? How many times could India and Pakistan meet in the Asia Cup 2022? The group phase of the Asia Cup 2022 will begin on August 27 (Saturday). The competition consists of two groups, each with three teams. In Group A, Pakistan and India will compete. The third team in Group A will be the qualifier winner. Each group's top two teams will proceed to the Super Four phase. India and Pakistan's prospects of moving on from their group are merely formalities since the qualifier winner will be decided by the ICC associate nations of the Asian region. If Pakistan and India advance from Group A, they will play each other once again in the Super Four phase. The Super Four round's top two teams will be guaranteed a spot in the championship game. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka's Twenty20 teams are currently not in excellent form. None of these three teams are considered to have a strong chance of winning the competition. As a result, there is a good chance that India and Pakistan will face off three times during the main event. Cricket fans would be enthralled by the prospect of watching the Asia Cup 2022 final between Pakistan and India. If that occurs, this will be the first time in the tournament's history that these two countries have faced off in a final. Read T20s: Need to be like a baby learning to walk, says Shakib The dates on which India and Pakistan could meet in the Asia Cup 2022 Date: 28 August, 2022 | Group A match Date: 4 September, 2022 | Super Four match (if qualify) Date: 11 September, 2022 | Final (if qualify).  Which players would likely be seen in India and Pakistan’s playing XI? India and Pakistan both have some of the top Twenty20 players in their respective squads. The recent T20 performances of both teams have also been very impressive. Pakistan hasn't participated in a lot of T20I series following the T20 World Cup in 2021. After the major event, they defeated Bangladesh and the West Indies in all six of their games. Pakistan played just one T20 match this year. In April, they fell short against Australia in that T20 match. In that sense, the Pakistan Twenty20 team may find it difficult early in the 2022 Asia Cup competition. India can take advantage of this as they will play Pakistan in their opening encounter. India will enter the Asia Cup competition in excellent form, having won sixteen of their twenty-one games this year. They have won five bilateral series, while one with South Africa ended in a draw. The players who weren't picked are talented enough to be on the Indian team, so the selectors must have had a difficult time finalizing the squad. Here are the players from both sides who can make it into their respective playing XI. Read Meet Sridharan Sriram: Bangladesh national cricket team’s new T20 technical consultant India’s predicted playing XI Top-Order: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli,  Middle-Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin,  Lower-Order: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal  Pakistan’s predicted playing XI Top-Order: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Fakhar Zaman,  Middle-Order: Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Nawaz,  Lower-Order: Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani  Aftermath India will be the overwhelming favourite to win the 2022 Asia Cup cricket due to their recent Twenty20 form and success over Pakistan in the tournament. India will enter the upcoming competition with a lot of confidence since Rohit Sharma is yet to lose a Twenty20 series after being named the team's permanent captain earlier this year.  Read Pakistan’s Afridi to miss T20 Asia Cup and England series Pakistan, on the other hand, has lost its last three Asia Cup matches against India and will be driven to turn things around. Pakistan, the ICC's third-ranked Twenty20 side right now, stands a decent chance of overcoming India and taking home the championship. So far we have discussed how did India prevail over Pakistan in the previous Asia Cup Cricket tournaments. Now its time to see how can Pakistan prevent India from capturing their eighth Asia Cup title?