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Throwback To 1984: Revisiting The Epic Debut Of IND Vs PAK Rivalry In Asia Cup

Poulomi Chakraborty

First IND-PAK Face Off In 1984 (Source: @ICC/x.com)First IND-PAK Face Off In 1984 (Source: @ICC/x.com)

Just as a wedding feels incomplete without music, dance, and celebration, cricket loses its thrill without fierce rivalries. Since the birth of the game of cricket, some of the rivalries have made the game more interesting, but the iconic India-Pakistan rivalry is a timeless classic.

A journey that started after the partition, the first instance of the rivalry happened in 1952. It made its Asia Cup debut in 1984, setting the stage for unforgettable clashes. Let’s rewind to that magical first face-off of these arch-rivals in the Asia Cup.

India-Pakistan Rivalry Makes Its Asia Cup Debut In 1984

Since Delhi hosted the first ever clash between India and Pakistan in the cricket world, the fierce rivalry didn’t produce even a single dull moment in the cricket world. As fans always enjoyed the fierce duel of the closest neighbors, the cricket world witnessed the spirit of the game. As the dawn of the timeless rivalry marked in 1952, with time, it crossed over the formats to spread its undisputed craze.

As the tournaments and formats experienced the heat of the tournament, the Asia Cup stage was yet to be conquered. Introduced in 1984, the rivalry finally stepped onto this grand platform. Even as the Men in Green faced an early setback, the clash continued to promise the drama, intensity, and magic that make it cricket’s most iconic showdown.

From Sharjah Battle To An Eternal Cricket Classic

Adding a new tournament to give a major push to cricketing excitement, the Men’s Asia Cup was introduced to the cricket world in 1984. As the tournament stepped into the world with a forever goal in mind, the India-Pakistan rivalry stepped into the big stage, marking a feather on the crown.

As Sharjah hosted the first IND vs PAK showdown in the Asia Cup, India batted first and marked a dream start as Surinder Khanna and Ghulam Parkar stitched a 54-run stand on the opening wicket. After Parkar walked away with a run out, Shahid Mahmood removed Dilip Vengsarkar.

As pressure mounted on the Men in Blue, Khanna scored a half-century and played a knock of 56 runs. After his dismissal, Sandeep Patil and Sunil Gavaskar’s 78-run stand pushed the side to put on a challenging total of 188 runs on the board.

Chasing down the total, Pakistan faced blows since the beginning, as Roger Binny and Ravi Shastri tore through Pakistan’s lineup. Apart from Mohsin Khan’s 35 and captain Zaheer Abbas’ 27, no other Pakistani batter made an impact as the Shastri-Binny duo secured 3 wickets each and restricted the rivals to 134 runs.

With that, Team India marked their first triumph by 54 runs in the very first face-off against their closest neighbor yet arch-rivals Pakistan. What began as a single contest soon became the spark for countless thrilling encounters in Asia Cup history.

Pages Turn, But The Rivalry Remains Constant

From 1984 to 2025, years passed, players came and went, but the vision and the rivalry stood tall. As India marked their first-ever Asia Cup triumph against Pakistan, holding Gavaskar’s hand, with the magical baton passed to Suryakumar Yadav as India is chasing the glory with pride.

After taking Team India’s T20I reins, Suryakumar Yadav is leading the side in the Asia Cup 2025. In the group stage clash against Pakistan, Team India registered a brilliant win, rewriting a new chapter of the rivalry. Now, with the Super Four clash looming large, anticipation is sky-high as fans brace themselves for another electrifying showdown.