The highly-anticipated India versus Pakistani counter in the Asia Cup 2023 lived up to the expectations of the cricket fraternity as it produced a riveting contest between and ball in the first half.

India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday (September 2).

The Men in Blue got off to a disastrous start as they lost four wickets for just 66 runs. Amid the pressure situation, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya stood up for India and added 138 runs for the fifth wicket to bail the team out of trouble.

Pacer Haris Rauf broke the partnership by removing Kishan on 82 off 81 balls. It was a big wicket for Pakistan as India’s wicketkeeper-batter was looking set for a century.

After claiming the prized scalp, Rauf also gave an animated send-off to Ishan Kishan. The right-arm quick rudely told the left-hander to leave the ground with a gesture from his finger.

Here’s the video:

Despite the half-century from Kishan and Hardik Pandya (87 off 90 balls), Pakistani bowlers bounced back to bundle out India for 266 in 48.5 overs.

The pace trio of Shaheen Afridi (4/35), Haris Rauf (3/58) and Naseem Shah (3/36) shared all 10 Indian wickets among them.