India were the first team to book their place in the 2023 Asia Cup final, securing a record ODI win over Pakistan and overcoming Sri Lanka in a low-scoring affair.
Sri Lanka then confirmed their place in the showpiece clash, and knocked out Pakistan in the process, with a heart-stopping last-ball win.
However, while India’s route to the final has been serene on the one hand, on the other, it has relied on a slice of generosity from the tournament organisers. Had they not implemented a reserve day for the India-Pakistan Super Fours clash – and only that clash – then that game would have been washed out, making India’s path to the final more precarious.
Had that game seen the points shared, what would the table look like now? Assuming all other results stayed the same, Pakistan, who finished the Super Fours bottom on net run rate, would actually have overtaken India to finish second.
India’s NRR finished on +1.753, but that is largely a result of their massive win over Pakistan, wiped off in this scenario. India’s defeat to Bangladesh was narrow, and their victory over Sri Lanka more sizeable, a 41-run margin, so their NRR would still be positive even removing the Pakistan result.
But Pakistan would benefit significantly from the change. They overcame Bangladesh convincingly, chasing down 194 with more than 10 overs to spare, while defeat to Sri Lanka was confirmed on the final ball. So if the India-Pakistan game had been washed out, India would have had three points and an NRR of +0.35, while Pakistan would have had three points and an NRR of +0.62.
That is assuming all other results stayed the same. India fans will point out that, if something had been riding on it, the Bangladesh result may well have been different. They rested five players for the game – Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav – with all of those crucial to their success so far.
