India vs Pakistan, 3rd Match, Group A at Kandy, Asia Cup, Sep 02 2023 - Match Result

Looks like we are not going to have any post-match presentation. So that is that from our side. Tomorrow, it's Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, and we will be back for that. See you then.

Anil kumar : "WHAT IF.. IND vs NEPAL match also cancelled???" --- Then Pakistan and India will go through to Super 4s.

Sher Baz Ali Sh: "155 in 20 overs, tough job! Babar Azam's captaincy was a question mark today as well. He is not an attacking captain, I mean why would you save overs towards the off your pacers, when they are already doing so well at the top. Makes no sense to bowl 21 overs with spinners, and that with an economy of over 6. 10-12 from spinners should have given a clue to you that there is nothing for them, bring back your pacers. 2/10 for captaincy, really poor. Post the comment for my new born, Shahwaiz Ali."

Kannan: "I think Ishan Kishan pretty much cemented his world cup spot."

Nagaraja: "On the positive side, Indian batters got some good practice against the top Pakistan pace bowlers."

9.54pm Thanks, Monga. What a bummer. We saw some brilliant cricket in the first half as Pakistan's fast bowler got the better of Indian batters at the each end of the innings. In between, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan, arguably, played their best ODI innings to date (before you @ me, I know Kishan has the fastest double-hundred in ODIs). But the rain had the final say. It was expected to delay the start, but that didn't happen. We had an on-time start. The radar for the evening was clear but, as Babar said last evening, Sri Lanka weather is unpredictable.

9.52pm Handshakes all around. That means only one thing: the rain has won, and the teams share points. I will leave you with Hemant Brar for the final formalities.

9.50pm The umpires are out in the middle having a conversation with the ground staff. During the chat, I have seen their umbrellas go down. So there is still hope.

9.45pm Don't give up on this match yet. Fidel Fernando reports it has thinned down to a "super light drizzle". We still have hope and time. The cut-off is around 10.27pm.

9.40pm It is still raining. It needs to stop in the next 20 minutes or - according to our calculation - for us to get a game tonight. The cut-off according to our calculations is 10.27pm.

9.27pm It is still raining. And now on to the next matter of interest: our calculations and the calculations of the scorer at the ground suggest this match needs to restart by 10.27pm in order to have a 20-over contest because under 20 overs doesn't constitute a match.

9.07pm The inspection is done, India's bowlers are out on the field warming up, but there is a bit of a concern with a fine drizzle returning. The square is covered again, and the players have gone back to the dugout. We hope it is not a long delay.

"Surprised there's been no analysis of Rohit's decision to bat first knowing it would rain… Which part of it was not a no-brainer?!" Kash, even Babar Azam would have batted first. So both the sides must have seen something in the conditions.

8.58pm There is an inspection due in two minutes.

8.50pm Almost all the covers are off. So far we have lost an hour and 29 minutes. The stumps are being erected.

8.35pm There is movement on the covers already. The umpires are out there without umbrellas. They are talking to the ground staff. It would appear it has stopped raining. Covers are being peeled off.

8.30pm Unfortunately it is still drizzling. I see a lot of questions around revised targets because I am sure we will lose overs now. Here it is to give you an idea. The target will be 254 in 45 overs, 239 if 40 overs, 203 in 30 overs and 155 in 20 overs.

8.14pm Welcome back. We were supposed to have started the chase at this minute, but it is drizzling in Pallekele. So we wait and watch. This is not official but according to our calculations, we should start losing overs after 8.21pm because we lost 53 minutes to the two rain breaks in the first innings, and the buffer is usually an hour. We have seen Rahul Dravid get what we assume is the the DLS sheet from the match referee Javagal Srinath.

Meanwhile, in other sporting news, India has a new no 1 chess player in D Gukesh. To understand the significance of this, here are some facts about the world the last time someone not named Viswanathan Anand sat atop the Indian chess throne: India didn't have internet, Germany was divided by a wall and the only King Khan in Bollywood was Muhammad Yusuf.

7.45pm What a rollercoaster ride this was, with rain playing hide-and-seek. And it has again started drizzling, by the way. As expected, Pakistan's fast-bowling trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf tested India's top-order batters, and got better of them. Shaheen removed Rohit and Kohli, and Haris got rid of Iyer and Gill to leave India 66 for 4. But then Kishan and Hardik revived the innings by adding 138 for the fifth wicket. The Pakistan spinners looked ineffective in that middle phase, and their fielding was sloppy. But just when it started looking like that India could even go past 300 here, it was time for the fast bowlers to come back. Haris broke that stand with Kishan's wicket and Shaheen sent back Hardik and in the same over to bring Pakistan back. Naseem then wrapped up the innings with three late wickets as Pakistan's fast bowlers shared all ten. We will be back for the chase in a bit, don't go far away.

Shaheen Shah Afridi: I think both were crucial wickets, but I think Rohit's I enjoyed more. I think the new ball might seam and swing but should be easier after that.

Mohammed Siraj, the No. 11

Shaheen finishes with figures of 4 for 35

Over the wicket to Bumrah

These two have added 17 in 18 balls now. Shaheen goes around the wicket

Haris. Around the wicket

Noman: "When it was 66/4, I was thinking 220 might possible. then IK and HP made me thought about 300. Now 8 down and I am thinking 270 may not be possible. This is CRICKET. "