Asia Cup 2023

Watch: Kuldeep Yadav takes five wickets as India inflict record defeat on Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023 | IND vs PAK

by Wisden Staff September 12, 2023 - 8:08am 3 minute read

Watch: Kuldeep Yadav claimed five wickets as India beat Pakistan by 228 runs in a Super Four match at the 2023 Asia Cup.

Buoyed by a 233-run unbeaten third-wicket stand between Virat Kohli (122 not out in 94 balls, nine fours, three sixes) and KL Rahul (111 not out in 106 balls, 12 fours, two sixes), India made 356-2 after Babar Azam opted to field at R Premadasa Stadium.

Before that, captain Rohit Sharma (56 in 49 balls, six fours, four sixes) and Shubman Gill (58 in 52 balls, 10 fours) added 121 in 100 balls.

Pakistan were hit by injuries to Haris Rauf, who was restricted to five overs, and Naseem Shah, who left the ground while bowling his final over.

In response, Pakistan struggled to 77-3 on either side of rain as the Indian fast bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah (1-18), Mohammed Siraj (0-23), Hardik Pandya (1-17), and Shardul Thakur (1-16) – all made life difficult for the batters.

The time was ready for Kuldeep to step in. Fakhar Zaman expected the ball to turn and went for a slog: the ball went straight to bowl him. Agha Salman went next, trying to sweep a ball that came into him. He missed the line, the ball hit him on the pad, and that was that.

Shadab Khan lofted to long-on. Kuldeep himself took a sharp reflex catch when Iftikhar Ahmed hit one back at him. And Faheem Ashraf did not read the googly, missed the line, and was bowled.

Neither Naseem nor Rauf batted, and the Pakistan innings closed at 128 in 32 overs. India won by 228 runs, their fourth-largest margin of win while batting first and largest against Pakistan.

Kuldeep finished with 5-25, his second ODI five-wicket haul: he had claimed 6-25 against England at Trent Bridge in 2018. These were also the third-best figures for India against Pakistan, after Sourav Ganguly (5-16 at Toronto in 1997), and Arshad Ayub (5-21 at Dhaka in the 1988 Asia Cup). Ayub and Kuldeep are the only Indians to take five-fors against any side at the Men’s Asia Cup.