On this day in 2010: Gambhir, MSD help India beat Pakistan in Asia Cup

India vs Pakistan is labelled as the ‘Mother of all Rivalries’ in cricket. The players of both sides show their level best on the field to come out on top whenever they meet. However, this Asia Cup 2010 encounter witnessed more than on-field performances that saw some aggressive faceoffs between Gautam Gambhir and Kamran Akmal and some verbal volleys between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar.  Without further ado, here’s a look at how the Indian team came out on top against their arch-rivals in a final-over thriller.

When India ended Pakistan’s Asia Cup campaign

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi called it right at the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Salman Butt and Imran Farhat ensured a good start for the Men in Green as they added 71 runs for the opening stand. The Indian bowlers staged a remarkable comeback in the middle overs and suddenly it felt as if the Pakistanis would be restricted to a manageable total.

However, Afridi (32) and Kamran Akmal (51) had other ideas as they staged a comeback, which took them to a challenging total of 267. It was going to be a very tough chase for India under lights against a lethal Pakistani bowling attack that also included mystery spinner Saeed Ajmal. Nonetheless, openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 47 runs for the first wicket before the latter was dismissed.

Gambhir was not distracted by any means and kept going on. He was involved in a 98-run stand with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the duo kept the scoreboard ticking. Gambhir was castled by Ajmal and that was when Dhoni took command of the chase. At one point it appeared as if the finisher would finish it off in style but he was bowled by Shoaib Malik for 56.

India’s last recognized middle-order batter Suresh Raina then made it matter with a cameo of 34 off 27, however, his unfortunate run-out in the final over opened up the floodgates for Pakistan. Nevertheless, India heaved a sigh of relief with Harbhajan still out in the middle and was charged up after being instigated by Akhtar in the death overs, having hit the latter for a six. He vented out his frustration by clobbering Mohammad Amir into the stands off the penultimate ball of the contest to register a famous Indian win over their arch-rivals by three wickets.